Of Love and other Demons
by jesphoenix05
Summary: AoshiMisao. Story takes place three years after the Jinchuu arc. Misao has finally come to understand the root of Aoshi's pain after a dangerous incident in a nearby military base. Now Aoshi must let go of the past or lose his future! Epilogue up!
1. The Morning Report

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker or Shinsengumi

**Timeline:** An Aoshi/Misao story set in canon approximately three years after the Jinchuu Arc.

**Author Note: **The Hajime Saito portrayed in this story comes mostly from the Japanese drama named **Shinsengumi** and was played by actor Odagiri Jo, his cool portrayal of Saito has made me revise my thoughts on this character (the fact that he's cute helps too!). So if he seems out-of-character sometimes, it's just my love for Mr. Odagiri's performance that makes this Saito act as he does! Also, there are some abilities attributed to him that have been taken from the Saito interpretation in Peacemaker Kurogane and integrated into my ultimate version of Saito for the purposes of this story.

In the old days, by the way, tuberculosis was known as consumption.

* * *

**"Of Love and other Demons"**

Part 1: The morning report…

Aoshi woke early, as he usually did, went through his morning routines and finally emerged from his room dressed in his western suit ready for his translator duties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There was a meeting with the Spanish envoy this morning and there was a good chance he'd be done early since the minister seemed to get along well with Ambassador Murrieta and the man was a friendly and charming individual. It helped that the man and his wife seemed exceptionally skilled in languages and had already learned some rudimentary Japanese in the two weeks they'd been here.

'Must have breakfast and tea first!' he thought hoping in vain that Misao might be up already. 'Tea just doesn't taste as good as when she makes it' he sighed, 'but I doubt she'll be up this early!' He resigned himself to go without Misao's special tea until he got back and made his way towards the kitchen.

He looked up at the twilit sky of early morning as he emerged from his room and breathed in the morning air. 'Still, it is good to be home!' he affirmed as he had every morning since he'd been back. All the months he'd spent with the minister traveling in the U.S.A. had taken a toll on him. The only somewhat pleasant stop on their trip had been a little town called Rock Creek. The Inn Keeper was a very young girl possessed of boundless energy and good cheer. But her attentiveness and hospitality had just served to remind him how homesick he was. And how he missed Misao's tea! He chuckled as he recalled Misao's outrage at hearing that the only good cup of tea he had in six months was at The Rock Creek Inn.

'Her name was Amelia!' he recalled 'Even her name sounds as cheerful as Misao's!' he concluded amused as he made his way toward the kitchen hoping Okon or Omasu might have started breakfast already. He exchanged a "Good Morning" with a sleepy Okina as they passed each other in the hallway. The old man's right eyebrow shot up as he took in Aoshi's clothing but he continued on his way to the bath without comment.

Aoshi sighed, relieved that Okina hadn't bothered him about the suit. The first few days he'd been back from America Okina hadn't passed up an opportunity to harass him about it. Of course, it hadn't helped that Okon and Omasu had giggled encouragingly, and were it not for Misao's passionate defense they'd probably still be at it! But even though he'd been back for almost a month already, every once in a while, mostly when Misao wasn't around, Okina just couldn't resist taking a swing at it.

He entered the kitchen and to his surprise it was Misao who was there alone and with breakfast well under way. Her back was turned and he smiled 'I guess I get to have good tea after all!' he thought "Good Morning Misao" he greeted in his usual tone.

"Good Morning Lord Aoshi," she greeted softly barely turning to acknowledge him. He thought he saw a flicker of guilt shoot across her face as she turned back to her task.

"Tea will be ready in a few minutes," she said softly. He sat down to wait for her usual non-stop chatter to begin but was concerned when it never came. He didn't like it when she was quiet it usually meant something was wrong.

'Come to think of it she was quiet last night too,' Aoshi mused, when asked how her day had been she'd merely shrugged and said it was fine but didn't bother to elaborate. When Aoshi had asked if she was all right she'd told him she was just tired. It was not in Misao's nature to be quiet or depressed, the absence of her usual cheerfulness put his senses on alert

"Misao, are you feeling well?" he asked a touch of concern in his voice

"I'm ok," she answered quietly. He waited for her to continue but nothing more came

"You just don't sound like yourself this morning," he began "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, concern now evident in his tone. He watched her quietly as her unsteady hand reached for a teacup. She put the cup down and shook her head

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. In an instant he was at her side pulling her gently away from the counter and sitting her next to him. He wiped a tear away from her cheek with his thumb, but she wouldn't look at him.

"What is it! Sorry about what Misao! Tell me!" Aoshi asked alarmed at her reaction

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Lord Aoshi!" she repeated and sobbed more openly now. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her rubbing her back gently in the way Hannya used to when she was upset.

"I didn't understand! I didn't! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed against his chest.

"It's ok Misao, just tell me what happened," he soothed, and waited for her to calm down enough to tell him what happened. A few moments later her sobbing stopped and she took a deep breath

"Do you remember my friends from Konohagakure?" she asked, he nodded

"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke," he stated "Naruto is your oldest and closest friend, I remember you were very little when you met him. You told me he used to travel with you when you went searching for us, his father was a Choshu clansman who was killed early during the Revolution and his mother died of consumption when he was twelve. He lived with his cousin Sasuke's family until last year, when both he and Sasuke joined the army. They seem to have some rivalry in regards to the favor of your friend Sakura, but she seems to favor Sasuke. She lives near the Uchiha Family, her family owns and operates a soy sauce factory and you met her through Naruto …" he paused and looked down at her face, her eyes wide with amazement

"Am I right so far?" he asked, worried about whether he'd gotten all his facts right or not.

"Oh yes! Yes! That's all correct!" she replied starting to sound more like herself to Aoshi's relief.

"Then what happened? Are they alright?" Aoshi inquired worried they might have been hurt somehow.

"Oh no! They're fine! Well, at least Sakura and Naruto are, I don't know about Sasuke though I kicked him harder then I should have…" she began with a guilty look on her face. He gave her a puzzled look

"Well see, Sakura's been bugging me for weeks to help her go see Sasuke. I just didn't think we should be messing around anywhere near the base since women aren't allowed there and we might get them in trouble, but she hadn't seen him in months because he and Naruto are on some special training so…" she paused again the guilty look on her face

"So you agreed to help her find a way to see him, correct?" Aoshi guessed still wondering what in the world could have made her this upset on such a simple outing

"She was really depressed! I had to at least try to help her! She's my friend!" she defended, again that worried look on her face and guilty tone in her voice

"It's alright Misao, you would never deny a friend in need. I understand perfectly," he soothed "now tell me what happened," he prompted patiently. She sighed and leaned against his chest again

"Well, we went to go see old willow-head Saito at his office to find out if he could help us but you know how he is, he wouldn't even give us the time of day!" she began...

_Yesterday afternoon..._

"Listen weasel-girl, I don't have either the time or the interest in your little friend's love life." Saito informed her, scorn heavy in his tone, his patience obviously long gone. He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a cigarette and his matches. He lit it and took a drag

"Now get out!" he ordered irritated, puffing out a blast of nicotine laced smoke at the two girls. Indignant, Misao jumped out of her chair and was gearing up to give him a piece of her mind when a loud knock on the door cut her off. A tall and handsome officer with a big fake smile wearing a blue foreign uniform barged into Saito's office. Saito rolled his eyes

"That's great! It seems today's my day for annoying visitors!" Saito growled frustrated. Misao huffed angrily but held her tongue, she didn't like the look of this new arrival. She eyed him suspiciously, his arrogant smile felt sinister to Misao and she didn't like the way he was looking at her very pretty friend Sakura.

"Oh come now Fujita! Shouldn't you be in a better mood with such lovely company!" The foreign officer countered not taking his eyes off Sakura

"Moron!" Saito ground out and Misao for the first time today wholeheartedly agreed with him. The foreigner ignored him, concentrating on Sakura

"Allow me to introduce myself… I am Col. Keith Watts of the United States Army, at your service!" he announced in a debonair tone as he took Sakura's hand and kissed it lightly. Misao watched horrified as Sakura giggled at the man's action. Sakura took a step back and bowed

"I'm Sakura and this is my friend Misao. Pleased to meet you!" she responded. Misao stuck her hands in the sleeves of her kimono and bowed slightly not bothering to hide her distrust

"Pleased to meet you," she ground out reluctantly 'If he touches me I'm going to kick his butt!' she promised herself as she glared at him. Keith looked her up and down and dismissed her going back to smiling at Sakura. Misao fought valiantly the urge to kick him in the head.

"My office is **_not_** a teahouse! If you want to socialize do it elsewhere! You two girls get going!" Saito interrupted angrily. For once Misao didn't feel like arguing with him.

"Fine! Come on Sakura we're leaving!" she declared, grateful to have an excuse to leave. She grabbed Sakura's wrist and began to leave, but Sakura planted herself and pulled her hand away. She turned back towards Saito's desk and renewed her pleading to be allowed to see Sasuke. Saito glared at her, but before he could order the girl to stop Col. Watts stepped in.

"My dear lady, if you'd like to see your friends that can easily be arranged! After all, I am in charge of candidate selection and training for the special weapons unit. I would be delighted to give you a tour of the training camp." He proposed silkily.

Sakura squealed in delight "Oh! We'd love to!" she gushed "Right Misao!"

"I don't know Sakura, the guys might not like us barging into their 'boys only' club!" Misao suggested hoping one more time to dissuade Sakura from this endeavor. Saito nodded in approval

"A military base is no place for young women," he added sternly. Misao bit her tongue and let the remark slide 'anything to get Sakura out of here!' she thought

"But Misao! You promised!" she begged with a pleading in her voice and a sad look on her face that buckled Misao's resolve

"Ok, fine let's go," she sighed. 'Lord Aoshi would never leave a friend in need and neither will I!' she declared. She didn't trust this foreigner anyway and she wasn't about to leave Sakura alone with him.

"Well, that's settled!" Col. Watts announced, "Shall we?" he invited, taking Sakura's arm "Inspector Fujita, do you mind if we discuss our business later?" he added. The arrogant tone in the colonel's voice made the muscles in Saito's jaw twitch in anger.

"I do mind! Because that means you'll be wasting my time twice in one day!" he retorted angrily. He extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray on his desk and got up; retrieving his hat, gloves and sword he walked towards the door

"Let's get this over with!" he grumbled to the rest of the party. This surprised Misao, she didn't expect him to come along, it seemed out of character. She was glad he was coming along though and found herself walking close to him. They approached the gate and the soldiers there greeted Saito and the colonel with sharp salutes. Misao smiled as she recognized the soldiers

"Good Afternoon Lady Misao!" they greeted cheerfully

"Good afternoon, Jonouchi! Good afternoon, Hiroto!" she returned grateful to see friendly faces. Sakura greeted them a little more formally than Misao as she introduced her. Sakura wasn't nearly as popular with the people of Kyoto as Misao was so she wasn't familiar with these two men. It was one of the many reasons she liked being Misao's friend. Thanks to her she got to meet new people and experience new things that she would otherwise not get to do.

"What brings the Okashira of the Oniwaban clan to our camp today?" Jo asked, pleased that Misao remembered them

"Just a tour!" she replied cheerfully

"Oh! That's great! Umm…Okashira, just because it's our duty…" Jo began, looking uncomfortable

"Otherwise we wouldn't ask! I swear! But if you have any of your shuriken with you, you've gotta leave them here with us…" Hiroto finished obviously not liking the thought of disarming the leader

"Sorry! Civilians aren't aloud to bring in weapons to the base…" Jo apologized still looking uncomfortable. Misao smiled

"Don't worry guys! I understand!" she assured him and was about to reach into her kimono sleeve for her kunai when Saito's gloved hand suddenly dropped onto her shoulder, signaling her silently to stop.

"Morons! Don't you think the Okashira would **_know_** that?" Saito gruffly answered "Come on! Let's go!" he growled. He pulled Misao past the guards who cheerfully agreed with Saito and let Misao and the others pass without argument. Cheerfully, they waved goodbye and thanked her for visiting. Misao waved back

'He never calls me Okashira! What's up with that?' she mused and turned to look up at Saito. He sounded angry so she had expected him to look ready to kill. She didn't expect him to be smiling. Well, smirking mischievously was a more appropriate description. When she turned to look at Col. Watts she understood why

"I'm sorry…I'm not familiar with the word Okashira…what does it mean?" he asked tentatively, a confused look on his face.

"It's her ninja rank! I'm not sure how to put it but it's kind of like calling you Colonel..." Sakura began distractedly. She craned her neck as they passed the first courtyard where a group of cadets were doing drill practice trying to see if she could spot Sasuke or even Naruto. Misao wondered why it was that none of the cadets seemed surprised that two young girls were strolling through their base.

"Actually, it's more like General if you want to put it in military terms," Saito interjected

"Yes, that's correct! She is the leader of the Oniwaban group of ninjas!" Sakura helpfully supplied still looking around for Sasuke.

"Oh, a ninja, eh? Fascinating! I've always wanted to meet a ninja," Watts gave Misao a wary look. Misao tried to look as innocent and girly as possible; obviously Watts had underestimated her just like everyone else usually did. It's the part of her job she enjoyed the most! It also became apparent that Saito might have wanted her to keep her weapons so that she could make some sort of ninja demonstration at some point in their tour. She resolved to keep a close eye on Saito and wait for his signal.

"Not just any ninja! An Oniwaban ninja!" Sakura continued as Watts continued to watched Misao warily. Misao ignored his wary glances, pointing out what nice weather they were having today on that cool January morning.

"Just over three years ago, when Misao first became leader, they helped stop a small army of arsonists from burning Kyoto to the ground!" she elaborated cheerfully. She was referring of course to the Shishio incident; the official story then had been that groups of disgruntled Samurai were responsible for trying to set fire to the city as revenge towards the Meiji government. And in fact most people involved in government today, except those in the higher echelons and those closely involved in the fight against Shishio didn't know the whole tale and probably never would.

"Oh really?" Watts answered starting to sound annoyed that this slip of a girl was stealing his spotlight. Misao looked up at Saito who was trying valiantly not to laugh, hiding an amused smirk behind his hand and looking away

"They're very decent and caring people, but they're also among the strongest and smartest warriors in all of Japan!" Sakura declared cheerfully still looking around for her target

"Well, I should like to see that!" Watts announced in an arrogant tone. Misao seethed 'Just you wait, Watts! I'll show you!' she promised herself. She glanced at Saito and from the look on his face he didn't much like the colonel's tone either. They paused at the next courtyard where a group of cadets were practicing their marksmanship with the Winchester rifle. Here Watts took the time to extol the virtues of the rifles as well as elaborate on how effectively he had used this and other modern weapons during his tour of duty in the American Civil War.

Misao rolled her eyes 'Blah, blah, blah! This guy sure is full of himself! When will this be over already?' she wondered. She looked up to ask Saito but stopped herself. He was staring at the rifles, anger and resentment flashed in his eyes. Then she recalled that the Winchesters in the hands of the Choshu had killed several Shinsengumi members, including at least one squad leader

'And wasn't Hijikata - the demon vice commander - shot and killed too?' she speculated. She made a mental note to ask Lord Aoshi deducing that he would probably know. She did step a little closer to him and in a small attempt to show her support she reached into her kimono for her kunai. Saito dropped his hand on her shoulder and shook his head

"Are you sure?" she whispered "I can out shoot these guys with my eyes closed!" she asserted quietly. Saito smirked

"No, that won't be necessary, thank you," Saito replied, he patted her on the shoulder and his head turned suddenly as though listening to something no one else could hear. He chuckled, shook his head and relaxed; sticking his hands in his pockets he continued watching the bungling soldiers try to look cool and efficient with mild disdain. Misao just shrugged and resigned herself to suffering the rest of this tour.

Finally, they moved on as Watts announced the near completion of the tour. Sakura paid very little attention as she scanned each face looking for the one she most desired to see. Misao rolled her eyes for the millionth time that afternoon. She was becoming more and more disgusted with the insufferable expositions of Col. Watts. They went into the barracks through the junior officers lounge where several young men jumped to their feet to stand at attention. She waved casually at the men whom she recognized as they exited through the other side of the room where she could immediately see the largest courtyard in the complex.

"When will this be over!" she whispered angrily to herself as they made their way to the furthest end of the last courtyard, feeling she was nearly at the end of her patience. Saito chuckled softly

"Remember weasel-girl, you were the one that wanted to come here!" he teased quietly

"Listen willow-head! For your information I only came here 'cause I wanted to help my friend!" she whispered back

"Well then maybe you ought to be a little less helpful!" he taunted lightly

"I can't stop being helpful to my friends anymore than you can stop being a wolf!" she retorted in a harsh whisper. She realized immediately how rude (even for her!) her words sounded as soon as they left her mouth. She looked up to apologize right away but she paused, Saito wasn't angry he looked in fact surprised and amused

"Touché, weasel-girl! I like being a wolf…so you keep being a helpful little weasel-girl and I'll continue being a wolf! Agreed?" he suggested amicably. Misao smiled and nodded her agreement. They walked in amicable silence, listening to the unbearable narratives of Col. Watts as they walked towards a small rise where several clusters of cadets were gathered.

"And this ladies and gentlemen is the crowning achievement in modern warfare 'The Gatling Gun!'" he announced proudly. Saito rolled his eyes and Misao just stared at the four gleaming behemoths that the cadets were clustered about. In the back of her mind she wondered what Lord Aoshi must've thought when he saw one for the first time

The instructor came up to talk to Col. Watts for a moment then went back to his students. Misao heard a sharp intake of breath next to her and turned to see Sakura pointing gleefully at the gun to the far right. Naruto and Sasuke were in the group with the first gun. All the men looked up not surprised to see pretty girls escorted into the base by Col. Watts he was always showing off after all, but they were very surprised when they realized that one of the girls was none other than the Okashira of the Oniwaban who looked both tired and very irritated.

"It looks like we've arrived just in time to watch today's training session!" Watts pointed out smugly. Naruto and Sasuke spotted the two girls. Cheerful Naruto waved happily with both arms and broody Sasuke raised a hand in greeting. The order was sounded for all the students to take their places. Misao watched several students pick up four straw filled dummies and carry them towards the wall at the end of the field. Swiftly, they tied the roughly 7ft tall oddly shaped mannequins to four bamboo stakes that were lined up on the far wall directly in the path of each gun, then they ran back to kneel behind their respective gun.

"As you've probably noticed there will be live fire today, so don't be scared, you're perfectly safe here with me!" Col Watts advised in a patronizing tone. It was just lucky for him that neither girl was paying any attention to him any more. Sakura was too busy adoring Sasuke from a distance. Her mind lost in romantic fantasies about him already. Misao on the other hand was taking in every detail of the session…

There were four cadets to each gun: one to load, one to fire and it looked like the other two would be switching places with the first two. Naruto was on the loading station with the first gun's team and Misao watched carefully as he finished putting the magazine on the gun and stepped aside. He turned and waved at her, then indicated with his hands that they should cover their ears. Misao waved back and nodded to show that she'd understood. Sasuke took his position; he was assigned to fire the gun.

Each of the cadets positioned themselves with their left arm bracing the gun and their right hand on the firing lever and waited for the order to fire. Misao stared at the faceless straw filled dummies and as the instructor called out the signal to fire, her already exhausted mind began playing tricks on her. Four familiar and beloved faces suddenly substituted the faceless mannequins

'Hyotoko, Chikijo, Bessimi, Hannya!' She gasped, her mind screamed at her to do something! As the barrage of the heavy guns shreds the giant targets swiftly four of the five kunai she kept in her kimono sleeve at all times shot out of her hand in succession. Each knife embedded itself in the bullet magazine causing the guns to jam. The soldiers gave their guns and each other bewildered glances at a loss for what could have caused the gun to grind to a halt. One soldier however managed to figure out the problem right away and moved to correct it. Armed with the speed and strength of a full-fledged ninja Misao launched herself forward to stop him…

Clever Sasuke Uchiha knew right away what had gone wrong as soon as he heard the grinding noise the machine made as it stopped. He stepped forward toward the magazine spotting almost instantly the obstruction. It looked familiar 'A kunai?' he thought as he reached for it 'but why…' WHAM! The bottom of Misao's foot slammed into the back of his head before he could figure the rest of it out. He pitched forward violently from the force of the blow, tripped over the ammo box next to the gun and fell face forward on the ground. Everything went black…

Her speed had carried her so quickly past the three men behind Sasuke that she had plenty of time to land then whirl around to meet their counter attack. But they had barely managed to get to their feet when Misao's quick and powerful roundhouse kick caught two out of three in the head. Naruto, being more familiar with Misao's fighting style, managed to roll out of the way just in time to miss it! He jumped to his feet barely managing to block a punch and dodge her next kick.

Naruto knew he was in trouble as he managed to dodge another quick barrage. She had that scary non-Misao look on her face that she always got when someone insulted Lord Aoshi. He had to think of something, she was picking up speed, and he knew his luck would run out soon!

"ENOUGH!" Saito's voice boomed across the courtyard. Misao stopped in mid-motion as her last kick almost landed on Naruto's head. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to be spared the Misao-induced headache that Sasuke and the others would suffer tonight. She relaxed her fighting stance; the torrent of emotions that the guns had unleashed ebbed somewhat as she surveyed the damage she'd done. She bent down to help Sasuke to his feet slightly worried that she might have seriously injured her friend. She heard Saito and Watts speaking in hushed urgent tones but were too far away to make out what they said. Sakura rushed towards Sasuke demanding to know if he was alright and what in the world was going on.

Misao paid no attention to any of it. Her eyes became glued to the destroyed mannequins. Her mind pictured Aoshi injured, defeated and alone in the aftermath of the incident at Kanryu's estate. Her heart broke but she resolved that she would not cry there. She wanted to show the strength of the Oniwaban in both fighting prowess as well as composure. Saito lead her out of the base through a different and much shorter route. She asked about Sakura several times as they made their way out of the compound but Saito insisted she would be alright because he'd already made suitable arrangements to get her home safely…

* * *

Her story stopped there as she sobbed softly against his chest. Aoshi simply held her as fear numbed his mind. The only thing he could think of was Misao in a base full of guns being fired by cocky, inexperienced men. 'Just one stray bullet could've taken her from me!' his mind raged as his arms wrapped tightly around Misao 'I'm going to **_kill_ **Watts!' he promised himself savagely as she cried her heart out. It took all of his considerable self-discipline to control his fury

"I'm so sorry Lord Aoshi! I never really understood how horrible it must've been for you to watch them die like that! I'm so sorry! All this time trying to make you smile! Who could possibly smile after going through all the things you went through and seeing all the things you saw? I'm so, so sorry!" she cried pitifully.

Her words were like a splash of ice-cold water. His anger melted away as he understood that her tears weren't about revisiting the death of their friends or fear of possible repercussions by the military for the attack at the base 'Her tears are because of me!' he concluded humbled by Misao's selflessness. He wrapped his arms completely around her small body pulling her as close as possible. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her cheek and noticed as he did that her hair was slightly damp.

'She must've been up very early if her hair is almost dry, she probably couldn't get any sleep,' he reasoned, a touch of guilt starting to weigh on him. He deduced then that she was upset because she thought up until now she had been insensitive and selfish. He also realized that it was up to him to set her straight.

'Why is it that I bring her nothing but pain?' he scolded himself. He thought for a moment about all the stories and jokes she told him. He thought about the times they'd traveled together and all the little things she did for him that made his life easier. Like bringing him tea exactly when he needed it most and just the way he liked it to anywhere he might be. Or making sure his clothes were washed and pressed, cleaning and organizing his room in exactly the way that he wanted it and so many other little things too numerous to list. He leaned down and rested his cheek on the top of her head for a moment. Her hair smelled lightly of the berry-scented soap he brought her from America. He smiled…

"Misao there is no need for you to apologize, you haven't done anything wrong," he began gently "and I want you to know that it comforts me to know that the Oniwaban's current Okashira is capable of defeating not one but **_four_** gatling guns at once and without getting hurt no less!" he announced "I'm very proud of you Misao," he added solemnly.

She sighed and looked up at him, whatever she was going to say suddenly flew out of her mind "You're smiling!" she said surprised 'and it's a real smile too!' she thought happily and her tear-stained face suddenly brightened as she smiled back.

"Misao, do you remember what Hannya used to call you?" Aoshi asked pulling her close to him again

"He called me Little Sun," she answered, puzzled at the sudden change in subject

"Did he ever tell you why?" he asked, his tone hinting he knew the answer to his own question

"No…Do you know Lord Aoshi?" she returned catching on

"He told me on the road to Tokyo the night we left," he began " He said it was because you were like the sun 'because no matter how fierce the storm or how black the night it will always come back out to shine bright upon the world again!'" he quoted. Misao giggled…

"Hannya was always so mushy and corny!" she laughed happy that he was sharing this little memory with her. She would cherish it always. She stopped though as she heard an unfamiliar chuckle. She looked up amazed as she realized he was laughing too!

"We laughed at him then too for being so corny but he was right you know," he asserted, his tone slightly nostalgic "no matter how bad things seem to get you always find a way to smile again, that is one of the qualities I admire in you," he stated solemnly. Misao smiled brightly and happily allowed him to pull her close to him again.

They sat in silence for a moment, his eyes drifted towards the window where he caught a glimpse of Kuro and Shiro ducking out of the way trying not to be caught eavesdropping. He wondered if the others were doing the same and sure enough when he listened carefully he heard the soft breathing of three more people. 'Okina, Okon and Omasu most likely,' he inferred. Again he smiled, 'At least the story won't have to be repeated,' he concluded amused.

Misao suddenly sat up straight "Omigosh! I haven't given you your tea! Or your breakfast! Omigosh you're going to be late!" she rambled on excitedly as she jumped up and hurried to retake her previously interrupted duties. He watched content as she zoomed across the kitchen with the zeal he was accustomed to seeing in her.

In no time at all, both his tea and his breakfast were in front of him. He picked up his cup and took a sip. He sighed contentedly, for some reason his tea tasted exceptionally good this morning. He smirked in amusement as Misao yelled out the window for Kuro and Shiro to stop eavesdropping and come get their breakfast. Okina, Okon and Omasu calling out their "Good Morning" as though they'd heard nothing. Misao glared at them accusingly, obviously not buying the innocent act and served out the tea as Shiro and Kuro joined them.

Soon there was a cheerful chaos in the kitchen as everyone set about eating their breakfasts and preparing the food trays for the inn's customers. He pulled his pocket watch out of his vest pocket to check the time. With regret he stood up and made to leave. He paused behind Misao and put a hand on her shoulder

"Misao, will you be alright now?" Aoshi asked, a flicker of concern in his eyes. Misao smiled brightly at him

"Don't worry Lord Aoshi! I'm ok now!" she answered cheerfully. He nodded satisfied his face again set in his usual stoic expression

"We can talk again later," he began, " I will see you all later tonight" he said as he walked out the kitchen followed by a chorus of cheerful goodbyes from his comrades. Feeling content, he left the Aoiya and headed off to work…

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Well that's it until part 2 anyway! Hope you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	2. Noodles, Sweets and the Wolves of Mibu

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker or Shinsengumi

**Timeline:** An Aoshi/Misao story set in canon approximately three years after the Jinchuu Arc

**Author Note: **The Hajime Saito portrayed in this story comes mostly from the Japanese drama named **Shinsengumi** and was played by actor Odagiri Jo, his cool portrayal of Saito has made me revise my thoughts on this character (the fact that he's cute helps too!). So if he seems out-of-character sometimes, it's just my love for Mr. Odagiri's performance that makes this Saito act as he does!

**Shiruko:** a sweet azuki bean soup with mochi

**Miai:** traditional Japanese date set up with the intention of seeking marriage.

**_Shinsengumi cast:_**

**Shuhei Kondo** – member 6th squad aka Shuhei Tani

**Kuwajiro Oishi** – member 3rd squad

**Shinpachi Nagakura** – leader 2nd squad

**Hajime Saito** – leader 3rd squad aka Goro Fujita

**Sanosuke Harada** – leader 10th squad aka Sano Mazaki

**Kai Shimada** – member 6th squad

**Gensaburo Inoue** – leader 6th squad (deceased)

**Susumu Yamazaki – **spy (deceased)

**Soji Okita** – leader 1st squad (deceased)

**Isami Kondo (**Katsuta Shimazaki – Commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)

**Toshizo Hijikata** – Vice commander of the Shinsengumi

* * *

**Part 2: Noodles, Sweets and the Wolves of Mibu**

Aoshi's duties at the ministry ended just before lunchtime, so he decided to skip lunch at the ministry and go by the precinct to talk to Saito. He walked into the building and headed towards Saito's office. He found him standing in front of his door and he looked extremely annoyed! A snooty looking foreigner was talking to him, Aoshi guessed by Misao's description and the look on Saito's face that it was Col. Watts. Saito spotted him coming down the hall and smirked

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you stopped by!" he called out to Aoshi as he raised a hand in greeting

"Good Afternoon Inspector Fujita," he greeted solemnly, purposely ignoring the foreigner. Watts cleared his throat noisily. Saito rolled his eyes

"Shinomori meet Col. Watts; Col. Watts this is Aoshi Shinomori, elite member of the Oniwaban group of ninjas," Saito introduced reluctantly. Aoshi nodded curtly towards Watts

"Ah! Another ninja! I must say that yesterday's **_demonstration_** was quite impressive!" Col. Watts began arrogantly. Aoshi shrugged

"Of course it was, she is our leader after all," he replied coolly, "it's too bad she had hold back so much of her strength, she didn't want to seriously injure her friends and permanently damage the…" he paused as if searching for the right word "…equipment," he finished, the disgust in his tone did not escape Watts' attention. Watts' jaw twitched as he tried to keep his anger in check

"You know, I have noticed that some Japanese men often disapprove of the use of _modern_ weapons such as pistols and rifles!" Watts began in a haughty tone. Aoshi and Saito exchanged an annoyed glance "but they often change their minds once they see their power!" he added self-righteously, a smug smile plastered on his face that Aoshi wanted to erase with his fist. Saito rolled his eyes

"Moron," Saito huffed irritated as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

"Col. Watts if you're **_modern weapons _**are so impressive then how come a young girl in a kimono, wielding a handful of kunai, was able to turn your Gatling guns into useless piles of metal and make fools out of you and your handpicked cadets?" Aoshi countered sarcastically. Saito chuckled and began walking away, stopping for a moment to wait for Aoshi. Aoshi smirked triumphantly at Col. Watts and moved to join Saito without waiting for an answer. Aoshi and Saito walked away leaving Col. Watts to sputter angrily to himself outside of Saito's office.

"So I take it the little weasel-girl told you what happened yesterday," Saito began as they exited the building

"Yes she did and I would prefer you not call her that," he replied stoically. Saito laughed

"You two should get your acts together!" he suggested as he took another drag from his cigarette and began walking towards the nearest noodle stand.

"What do you mean?" Aoshi inquired, puzzled at Saito's reaction

"Yesterday, after the _tour_ was over, I called her by her proper name she wrinkled her nose and said that her name sounded too weird coming from me and to just keep calling her weasel-girl," he explained, "go figure!"

"Well, if she said that then I suppose it's alright," Aoshi shrugged but made a mental note to confirm it with Misao later. Saito laughed

"In any event, I stopped by to thank you for helping her yesterday," Aoshi stated, wanting to get back to the subject of his visit, "especially for trying to keep her away from the base," he finished seriously

"Hmph! I would've succeeded too if it hadn't been for Col. Gun-up-his-ass Watts sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong!" Saito replied crossly, throwing his spent cigarette on the ground and stomping it out with more force than was required.

"Hmm, a shame that wasn't Watts' head" Aoshi remarked calmly looking at the flattened cigarette butt. Saito looked up at him surprised by Aoshi's comment then laughed. Aoshi smirked at his own joke and suddenly wished that Misao had heard it he could almost hear her laughter. Saito stopped at the noodle stand and turned to Aoshi

"Do you have to go back to the Ministry today?" he asked suddenly. Aoshi looked at him puzzled

"No, I'm done for the day. Why?" he replied, mystified by Saito's change of subject.

"I know this place, the tea is pretty good and the noodles are great especially if you know the chef, we can talk about what happened yesterday on our way there," Saito invited as he turned and walked away from the stand. Aoshi walked beside him

"Sure," he agreed evenly. Saito's out of character behavior intrigued him but he also wanted to hear Saito's version of things. They walked down the street in amicable silence for a few minutes until Saito broke it

"Did you ever hear of a man called Gensaburo Inoue?" Saito asked. Aoshi nodded

"The leader of the sixth squad of the Shinsengumi, he was defeated in the battle of Fushimi in 1868," Aoshi replied thoughtfully wondering where Saito was going with this line of question.

"He was ripped to shreds by Choshu riflemen while trying to help a wounded member of his squad to escape!" Saito clarified bitterly. "Those cowards!" he stopped, the anger that suddenly flared in his eyes made him temporarily unable to continue speaking. Aoshi waited for Saito to regain his composure; after all he of all people could sympathize. Hannya and the others had been shot while protecting him too. Guilt and anger had very nearly consumed him.

"I lost count of the number of men I killed right then, though some of them dropped their guns and ran," Saito chuckled cynically, Aoshi just nodded in approval, remembering how he had snuck into the jail where Kanryu had been kept. The police in Tokyo still couldn't understand how the drug lord could've been killed inside a top security cell without signs of forced entry or struggle. Not that he was going to tell Saito that! He didn't trust him that far! At least not yet…

"I suppose we all have an experience in our lives that makes us act wild," he added grimly. Aoshi nodded in silent agreement

"You knew Misao would react badly to seeing the Gatling guns fired." Aoshi concluded

"Yes I did, but then again wouldn't you?" Saito responded, again Aoshi nodded

"Yes, most likely," he agreed gravely, remembering how Misao had described the mannequins tied to the stakes.

"That's mainly why I didn't want her to go; but you know something, she surprised me…" Saito paused thoughtfully

"How so?" Aoshi inquired, his curiosity piqued

"Well, I expected her to curse and scream and make a big scene, you know typical weasel-girl, but instead…" he paused again and to Aoshi's surprise he smiled and shook his head.

"But instead she was silent, swift and efficient; my hand shot out to stop her but I missed!" he paused and turned to Aoshi "I missed!" he repeated incredulous. Aoshi's eyes went wide with amazement this was truly high praise for Misao. He couldn't wait to tell her

"She was possessed by a grace and composure truly befitting her rank!" he continued, a touch of pride in his voice. Aoshi's chest swelled with so much pride that it made him unable to respond with anything more than a nod for a few minutes

"Oh, just in case you're wondering…to save face Col. Watts agreed to call the incident yesterday a secretly pre-arranged **_demonstration_** to show the soldiers that they have to be alert to their surroundings at all times and not relay so much on the **_awesome strength_** of their guns," Saito chuckled in amusement. Aoshi chuckled along with him amused by Saito's mockery of the foreign officer.

And so the two men continued on their way with Saito relating the events of the day before in detail from his perspective…

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Aoiya, Misao trudged on with her daily chores successfully managing to keep an unexpected sneezing fit from toppling the lunch trays she was carrying to the guest rooms. The morning had gone by quickly. The guys had made such a big fuss about how proud they were on how she handled the situation at the base that just remembering made her blush. She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached her next stop. 

'Just one more and I'm done!' she thought cheerfully as she knocked on the door. The two guests in this room had just arrived this morning from Tokyo for a special family gathering. They were regulars at the Aoiya, especially Mr. Tani who came frequently to Kyoto on business.

"Good afternoon Mr. Tani!" Misao greeted cheerfully

"Good afternoon Ms. Misao," the man greeted her with a smile as she walked in and placed the trays down. She discovered to her pleasant surprise that the guest of her last stop, Mr. Nagakura, was in this room right now

"Good afternoon Ms. Misao!" the other two men greeted her cheerfully

"Mr. Nagakura! Mr. Oishi! It's so nice to see you all again!" she welcomed them happily.

"The pleasure is all ours Ms. Misao, as always," Mr. Tani replied gracefully as he and the other men bowed. It was one of the reasons Misao liked these guys they were always so thoughtful and respectful. The fact that they all seemed to posses Hiko and Kenshin's eerie ability to look much younger than their age made them easy to associate with. Both Tani and Oishi were 28 years old though they looked no older than 19 and Nagakura was 45 years old but looked no older than 30!

"So how long do you plan to stay in Kyoto this time?" she asked as she bent down to set out their trays.

"Only a couple of days," Tani responded sitting in front of his tray

"Yeah, we're only here for the family reunion," Oishi added as he and Nagakura took their place.

"Oh, I see!" Misao said. Then remembering her manners (as well as her chores!) she sprung up and began to excuse herself so they could get on with their meal

"Oh please don't leave yet!" Tani begged with a friendly smile on his face

"Yes! Please join us for just a few minutes!" Nagakura invited

"Oh I couldn't possibly…" Misao began politely

"Yes! Please tell us how things are going in Kyoto!" Oishi encouraged at Misao's polite refusal

"Indeed! I heard something interesting about you last night Ms Misao…" Nagakura began but stopped as both of the younger men suddenly rounded on him

"Mr. Nagakura sir. It is very inappropriate to listen to and repeat rumors about decent and upstanding women like Ms Misao!" Oishi scolded, glaring dangerously at Nagakura

"I'm appalled sir!" Tani added and Misao marveled at how this seemingly harmless looking man suddenly appeared so dangerous. 'Kinda like Kenshin!' she thought absently

"Whoa! Wait a minute! That's not what I meant!" Nagakura rushed to placate the younger men "I heard this from our friend at the precinct! He said Ms. Misao trashed four Gatling guns and knocked out three soldiers all by herself yesterday afternoon!" he explained. Misao's eyes went wide with shock! 'Boy, news travels fast!' she thought amazed 'Hmm, I bet it was the old wolf that told him! Or someone who works for him…' she deduced

"Really!" both men said in unison and turned awestruck towards Misao. She giggled nervously

"Well that's a bit exaggerated! I only disabled the guns, I didn't destroy them," she amended modestly. Thoroughly impressed both men begged her to give them an account of what happened. After much coaxing she gave them an abbreviated account.

"Most impressive, two men with one kick. That must've been an excellent technique," Oishi complimented gravely, being the current assistant master at Shiei Hall in Tokyo he could certainly appreciate good fighting skills. The men all nodded and voiced their solemn agreements

"Ms Misao, would it be rude of me to ask you why you did it?" Tani asked gently

"Of course you don't have to answer if it's a private matter…" Oishi quickly added seeing the reluctance in Misao's eyes

"Oh no! It's ok! Well you see…my family…well they were all killed by a Gatling gun," she began hesitantly

"Say no more please. We understand…" Nagakura interrupted grimly as the other two nodded

"As you probably guessed by now Ms Misao, we were all members of the Shinsengumi once, in fact Mr. Nagakura was the leader of the 2nd squad," Oishi began seriously, Misao nodded. She had guessed as much when Mr. Tani first visited and said that Inspector Fujita sent him here because the owners of the Aoiya wouldn't overcharge him as all the other inns did, especially the ones in Mibu.

"In fact, my real name is Shuhei Kondo, not Shuhei Tani but for obvious reasons I have trouble doing business under my real name here in Kyoto," Tani added

"Oh, that explains why Saito sent you here!" Misao realized. Shuhei nodded. He was pleased that she caught on quickly

"And on this day thirteen years ago someone very dear to us was viciously gunned down while trying to help Shuhei here escape," Nagakura explained

"I was wounded and I couldn't make it to the sanctuary were the others were retreating to before the riflemen got there…"

Tani paused, a flicker of pain flashed in his eyes. "If Gen-san hadn't rushed out and stalled them so the others could help me limp to safety, I would've died!" he recounted, sorrow evident in his voice.

"You see Gen-san wasn't a dangerous wolf like the rest of us. He was once the senior pupil at Shiei Hall but later became leader of the sixth squad. He was a nice old guy who just wanted to make sure we were happy and safe," he explained, "he was my mentor and my captain." He stopped the three men suddenly had a far off look in their eyes. Misao couldn't help but sympathize with them. She felt that way about Hannya and the others. She could never forget them no matter how much time had passed.

"We were all frozen by our grief, including Commander Hijikata," Oishi picked up where Tani left off "all except Capt. Saito! I was a junior member of his squad, I looked up seeking some guidance from him but I saw a tear rolling down his face and he screamed out a war cry so full of rage I was shocked…" Oishi recounted. Misao listened attentively her heart went out to them. Now she understood why Saito couldn't stand the sight of the rifles yesterday!

"He ran out of the shrine screaming and by the time we all pulled ourselves together and caught up with him…" Tani continued, "the enemy had pulled back and the ground around Capt Saito was littered with dead bodies. He just stood there looking kind of lost…" he stopped his mind traveling back thirteen years ago, the loneliness and grief of that day still fresh in his mind

"So you see Ms Misao, even someone as cool-headed as Saito has a breaking point," Nagakura concluded, "so we understand how you must've felt."

"Oh wow, I didn't know about that, it's so sad…" Misao replied softly, completely at a loss for words. Her heart ached for Saito and now she wished he had let her out shoot those guys at the base yesterday, maybe even kick them in the head too. They were silent for a few minutes until Misao heard Omasu calling for her.

"Oh! I'm sorry I have to go! Please go back to your lunches!" Misao quickly excused herself, "Oh, and thank you for sharing your memories with me! I'm sorry I can't stay and talk to you longer" she added

"Perhaps another time?" Shuhei suggested amicably

"Yeah! That would be fun! It was nice talking to you all!" she replied cheerfully as she stood to leave and bowed.

"Our pleasure as always Ms Misao!" they called as she ran out the door. She hurried towards the kitchen marveling at what an interesting day this was turning out to be! Learning that there was such a human side to the wolves of Mibu changed the way she thought of the old willow-head…a little. In truth, it explained a lot of things about him. Plus, getting to see Lord Aoshi's smile had definitely been a high point and hearing him laugh was the icing on the cake! Furthermore, the knowledge that Lord Aoshi actually listened to things she said instead of just drowning her out as the others sometimes did was encouraging

'Don't get excited Misao! Just one smile and a couple of chuckles don't mean anything! But perhaps it does mean his soul is starting to heal! Yeah that's it! Maybe I'll write Himura a letter and let him know of our progress!' she reflected cheerfully, putting a quick damper on the girly daydreams that popped into her brain as she remembered his arms around her. Her silly girly mind had even imagined him smelling her hair.

'Stupid Misao! Why in the world would he do that!' she scolded herself as she skidded to a halt in front of the kitchen door. She had barely stepped in when someone in a pretty pink kimono threw herself on top of her. Misao laughed

"Sakura! What in the world are you doing!" she called out pulling Sakura off of her. Sakura was so deliriously happy that all she could do was drag Misao into the kitchen the rest of the way. As soon as she looked around she realized why Sakura had been so happy

"Hey Guys! When did you get out of the base? I thought you still had at least three more weeks of training!" she exclaimed happily. Sasuke and Naruto looked up from where they were eating noodles, Naruto smiled cheerfully and greeted her enthusiastically, and Sasuke by contrast merely smirked and bowed his head

"Well, thanks to you Sis we get a two day paid holiday! Yay!" Naruto cheered and went back to devouring his noodles. Misao looked confused

"What noodle-brain here means," Sasuke began sarcastically, "is that yesterday when you attacked the Gatling guns the team in Gun number 1…"

"That's us!" Naruto interrupted pumping his fist in the air. Sasuke glared at him to keep quiet

"Our team was the only one to show initiative in countering the attack…" Sasuke continued, "Col. Watts said the attack was a secretly pre-arranged demonstration to test our knowledge of the guns capacities and our ability to solve problems quickly," Sasuke explained seriously

"I think he just said that to cover up the fact that Sis made him look stupid!" Naruto laughed and happily continued gulping down his noodles

"For once we agree," Sasuke added thoughtfully munching on his noodles.

"Well, either way I'm glad to see you guys!" Misao declared cheerfully. Sakura whole-heartedly agreed as she handed Misao a bowl of noodles and walked out of the kitchen at Omasu's silent beckoning

"Umm, Sasuke uh, how are you feeling?" Misao asked timidly, she still felt guilty about knocking him out the day before; she really hadn't meant to hit him that hard. Sasuke winced

"Well let's see…my pride is severely injured, my dignity left me without saying goodbye, my over-inflated ego broke my fall but it's been shattered beyond repair and my head stopped throbbing just before I got home last night," Sasuke explained then shrugged, "the doctor says I'll live." Naruto laughed so hard he had to put his bowl down to hold his sides, Misao stared in astonishment at Sasuke then laughed so hard she could barely breathe. Such self-deprecating humor was completely out of character for her broody, angsty and prideful friend Sasuke.

"I'm guilty of the same crime that everyone else is. I've underestimated you and I've learned the hard way…" Sasuke added his tone suddenly solemn, "but I promise I'll never do it again!" he declared with a hint of challenge in his voice. Misao grinned slyly 'Alright Sasuke I accept your challenge!' she thought. Naruto snorted derisively

"Sasuke I wouldn't get my hopes up! Sis is in another league! You'll never beat her!" Naruto piped up cheerfully, he was obviously greatly enjoying Sasuke's defeat. Misao punched him in the arm, he yelped in painful surprise

"That doesn't mean he shouldn't try," she put in with as much innocence as she could muster. Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his injured arm.

"Nice try Okashira! But I'm not falling for that act ever again!" Sasuke stated as Naruto picked up his bowl again

"All right Sasuke, _knock yourself out_!" she laughed at her own silly pun and again Naruto had to put his bowl down to keep from spilling his food. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and went back to his lunch. As their laughter died down they realized that Omasu and Sakura weren't in the kitchen anymore 'That's weird, I wonder where they went?' she thought

"Hey Misao! Did you tell Lord Aoshi about yesterday?" Naruto asked quietly, she nodded

"Was he mad?" he asked, truly concerned for his dear friend who was practically a sister to him, especially since he's always known how she feels about Lord Aoshi. Sasuke watched her intently concern evident in his eyes too. To their surprise she smiled

"No! He wasn't! In fact it was the complete opposite!" she began cheerfully, then gave them a quick run down of this morning's conversation

"He hugged you!" Naruto replied stunned, "Wait, that's not possible! Lord Aoshi doesn't **_do_** hugging!" Naruto repeated incredulous

"And he doesn't do laughing either…" Sasuke pointed out thoughtfully "I mean I never knew him from before he left but I mean if he doesn't laugh at Naruto's idiocies then I can't imagine him laughing at anything!" he added equally incredulous. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and suddenly smiled

"I think your feelings are starting to get through to him," Naruto concluded grinning ear to ear

"You noodle-brain! He just laughed because it was something Hannya said!" she yelled at him. Naruto just giggled mischievously

"Did he hug you just a little or did he hug you the whole time with his arms wrapped tight all the way around you?" Naruto asked grinning like a Cheshire cat. Misao blushed a bright red

"YOU KNUCKLEHEAD! WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING!" she yelled. Naruto just giggled mischievously and dodged another punch. Sasuke watched her intently

"Did he smell your hair? Or touch your face?" Naruto teased encouraged by Misao's reaction.

"WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD HE DO THAT!" she screamed in denial. Sasuke's eyes went wide 'He did touch her face and smell her hair! That's big!' he realized but at the same time he recognized that if Naruto didn't stop teasing her she would entrench herself in the Land of Denial and miss out on any further opportunities with Lord Aoshi.

"Naruto you idiot! Do you ever shut up?" Sasuke scolded, "Why would Lord Aoshi do any of that? Geez you're a moron!" he added glaring at Naruto hoping he'd get the message. Naruto opened his mouth to defend himself but stopped at the look on Sasuke's face. He didn't understand why Sasuke wanted him to stop, Sis could handle a little teasing but if there was one thing he'd learned over the years is that Sasuke almost always had a good reason for doing the things he did.

"Yeah! You're probably right! It's not Lord Aoshi's style anyway!" Naruto declared gulping down the last of his lunch and getting up for more

"Your damn right!" Misao retorted grateful that Naruto's sudden change in track had stopped adding fuel to her silly daydreams. Sasuke relaxed glad that Naruto had gotten the message and went back to his lunch

"Hey guys we should do something special today!" Naruto suggested changing the subject.

"I know! Let's have a party!" Misao proposed her tone back to her usually cheerful self though her face was still flushed

"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Naruto agreed cheerfully chowing down on his third bowl of noodles "what do you think Sasuke?"

"Sure," Sasuke shrugged, he didn't care what they did he was just glad to have a day off to spend with his friends…

* * *

Aoshi and Saito navigated the maze-like streets of Kyoto all the while discussing the events of the day before. Aoshi looked around, they had traveled quite far from the precinct but still didn't seem to be near their destination. 

"You haven't told me where we're going?" Aoshi asked wondering how much farther they had to go

"Over there," Saito pointed to a rather busy looking sweets shop. Aoshi frowned, he wasn't fond of either sweets or crowds, and he hadn't thought that Saito was the type either. Saito laughed, obviously aware that the ex-leader disliked crowds and sweets as much as he did.

"The owners have a private room in the back in between their house and the shop. They reserve it for family and special guests," he assured Aoshi

"Which one are you?" Aoshi asked unable to contain his curiosity.

"Family…" Saito replied softly, a touch of nostalgia in his voice. Both men walked into the lunchtime crowd and were immediately greeted by a cheerful looking man.

"Hey Haji you're early! And you brought a friend! Great!" the man called out cheerfully obviously glad to see him. The man patted Saito roughly on the back and to Aoshi's surprise Saito merely smiled. The man quickly led them away from the hustle and bustle of the main shop.

"So I'm going to guess you're Shinomori!" the man began cheerfully as he lead them away from the noise of the main room.

"You are correct sir. I am Aoshi Shinomori," he replied politely, a little surprised that this seemingly simple shop owner would know who he was. They arrived in a large room that looked like it had been set up for a party. Trays had been set up in a u-shape and there was an empty sword rack near the door.

"I love how polite ninjas are!" he observed with a smile, "Hey Haji! You're right! He does remind me of Yamazaki!" the man observed gleefully elbowing Saito in the ribs. Aoshi observed the interaction between the two men; the shop owner had introduced himself as Mazaki but the familiarity between the two suggested they knew each other well. The fact that Saito would never allow a simple shop owner to poke him in the ribs made him concluded that this man had to be a survivor of the Shinsengumi. 'Someone high ranking in fact,' he surmised as Mazaki invited both to sit. Aoshi stared in shock as Saito allowed Mazaki to take his sword and placed it on the rack.

"You are Sanosuke Harada! You were the leader of the 10th squad of the Shinsengumi!" Aoshi suddenly realized "but I thought you had died with the Shogitai in Ueno?" Aoshi asked surprised

"Ha ha! Very good! Nice to know the Oniwaban ninjas haven't lost their touch, eh!" Harada complimented happily

"Thank you," Aoshi replied politely, pleased that he had made the connection on his own.

"You're right! Sanosuke Harada died bravely in the Shogitai!" he winked conspiratorially at Aoshi who nodded in response. Obviously, Harada, like Saito, had changed his name in order to live peacefully and anonymously in the Meiji era.

"Speaking of ninjas, I heard something amazing about your current Okashira!" he commented slyly as he poured tea for Aoshi and Saito and sake for himself.

"Something amazing?" Aoshi asked looking at Saito and wondering whom else he told about the incident at the base yesterday. He also made note of the fact that Harada had known his preference for tea over liquor without asking, 'but perhaps I should expect no less of an old leader of the Shinsengumi,' he surmised

"I heard she turned a bunch of Gatling guns into expensive paper weights!" he laughed heartily, "Boy I wish I'd seen that!" he declared gleefully. Saito chuckled

"The little weasel-girl is stronger than she looks!" he noted

"Ogh! Don't call her that! You know how riled up Shigure gets when you do!" Harada complained, "besides she's too cute for that nick name!" he added sounding mildly annoyed. Aoshi frowned

"Who is Shigure?" Aoshi asked, wondering why this person's reaction would cause Harada to worry. Both men grinned

"Shigure is my 13 year old son! He's a big fan of the little Okashira but then most kids in this city are fans of hers! Ever since the Shishio incident anyway!" Harada explained. Aoshi nodded in understanding as he sipped his tea, not surprised that this Mibu wolf knew about Shishio. He knew Misao was very popular, he'd noticed that when he went out on errands with her. Shop owners would occasionally give her gifts, children would cluster about her wanting her attention and people of all ages would cheerfully greet her anywhere she went. But he didn't realize she had a fan-base! As if on cue a tall boy that looked a lot like Harada came into the room

"Hey Uncle Haji! What's up!" he greeted cheerfully as he walked towards them carrying three bowls with Soba noodles in them. Saito raised his hand and greeted the kid with a smile and a brief hello.

"Hey Shigure! This is Shinomori…" Harada began cheerfully as father and son distributed the bowls

"Lord Aoshi! I know! I've seen him with Leader at the market sometimes!" Shigure exclaimed cutting his father off who looked mildly annoyed at being up-staged. Slowly Aoshi realized that the boy in fact did look familiar. He must've had quite a growth spurt! The last time he'd seen him was before he went to America, otherwise he would've recognized immediately the boy that was always bringing sweets for Misao every time she went to the market. 'Now what was it that Misao called him…' he tried to recall

"Gure-chan, you've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you. Do you still bring Misao sweets on market day?" Aoshi asked. The boy blushed slightly as his father stared at him in shock. Saito chuckled amused and sipped his tea

"Yeah! Leader loves mother's shiruko!" he replied shyly to Aoshi's question pleased that he remembered. He would be sure to tell Leader about it as soon as he got a chance.

"How come you didn't tell me that?" Harada complained at being left out of the loop

"You didn't ask!" the boy retorted smiling mishievously. Harada suddenly grabbed the kid in a headlock and ruffled his short brown hair mercilessly. Saito laughed heartily at the father-son antics. Aoshi just stared at them, a sudden memory popping up into his mind of Lord Makimachi (Misao's grandfather) putting him in a similar headlock years and years ago. He almost smiled, he had forgotten about it. Lord Makimachi had gone to great lengths to try and pull him out of his icy shell. 'Much like Misao…' he compared thoughtfully.

"Aw come on! Your messing up my hair!" the boy complained as he managed to dislodge himself from his father's hold. Harada laughed

"Go see if the others have gotten here yet!" Harada instructed a wide grin still on his face.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Aunt Tokio just got here and she's in the kitchen, helping mom. Sister is playing with little Soji and the twins outside; she said she would bring in the guests as they arrive! Aiji is helping me with the shop, he said he'd help me close once the last customers are gone!" the boy informed them "See you later Lord Aoshi!" he called back and rushed out

"Well why didn't he say so sooner!" Saito snapped, "I'll be back!" he told the others as he followed Shigure out to go greet his family. Aoshi was left alone with Harada and the man was especially curious to hear the details of yesterday's events at the base or more specifically what Aoshi thought.

Just a few minutes later a young girl who looked to be about 10 years old brought a very large man into the room. Harada introduced the little girl as his daughter Osono and the large man as Kai Shimada. Aoshi greeted both of them politely. The girl blushed and returned the greeting but promptly excused herself from the room. Shimada laughed and greeted him cheerfully. He gave Aoshi a friendly pat on the shoulder and sat on his right side.

"Saito's right! You really do remind me of Yamazaki!" Shimada pointed out. Harada joined the big man in laughter as the smaller man took Shimada's sword and put it on the rack. Aoshi raised an eyebrow

"Actually, I think this ninja is even more serious then Yamazaki! At least Susumu smiled sometimes!" Harada noted looking closely at Aoshi after pouring out some sake for Shimada. Aoshi just sipped his tea quietly absorbing all the information he could about these men. One thing he'd learned in his ninja training is that if you just let people talk they'll sometimes volunteer more information then with the best of interrogation methods.

"Hmm, you know you may be right! Anyway, what is this I hear about the Okashira beating people up at the army base? Was Watts up to his old tricks again bringing girls in there?" Shimada inquired seriously. Harada piped up excitedly and gave him a full account before Aoshi could say anything. Shimada laughed

"Well it's about time someone taught that man a lesson! I'll tell you there's nothing like an old-school butt-kick to teach an arrogant bastard a good lesson!" The big man reasoned seriously

"It seems that we agree," Aoshi replied, unable to hide a note of pride in his voice. Saito returned then with a small boy in his arms. He retook his seat on Aoshi's left side putting the toddler in his lap.

"This is my 2 year-old son Soji," Saito introduced seeing the puzzled expression on Aoshi's face, "and he's just like his namesake! He follows me everywhere!" he explained. Aoshi watched with fascination the transformation that had come over Saito. Gently he admonished his son to keep away from the hot tea and smiled as his little son cuddled up against his chest and played with the shiny buttons on his jacket. Saito stroked the boy's hair as he listened to Harada make idle chatter. The gentleness of their interaction stirred up long-forgotten feelings about Lord Makimachi and his earliest days in the Oniwaban.

The little boy left his father's lap at Shimada's beckoning and though the big man made him squeal in delight as he tickled him Soji soon left him to return to his father's lap. Harada stood and removed the empty bowls of noodles to refill Aoshi and Saito's teacups and pour more sake for Shimada and himself. Harada ruffled the little boy's hair and Soji smiled at him.

"You know he really does remind me of Soji sometimes…" Harada noted thoughtfully, "Soji could amuse himself with the simplest of things for hours!" he explained as he watched Saito's little son. Aoshi sipped his tea and watched with mounting surprise as the little boy smiled and climbed out of his father's lap to climb onto Aoshi's. 'Well, this is new!' he thought as he placed his teacup as far away from the child as possible. Most of the time small children ran away from him in fear. Soji tugged at the chain hanging from his pocket watch as he smiled up at him.

"You're right!" Shimada agreed laughing as Aoshi pulled the watch out of his pocket so the child could hold it

"Looks like you made a new friend!" Harada laughed as little Soji made himself comfortable on Aoshi's lap examining the watch. Aoshi made sure the watch was securely clipped to the inside of his pocket to keep the child from running off with it.

"It would appear so…" Aoshi replied thoughtfully as another memory suddenly surfaced. One were he was very small! He sat on Lord Makimachi's lap looking at a small sundial. He had looked up to see Lord Makimachi smiling cheerfully at him, occasionally ruffling his hair. 'He was always smiling at me, no matter what I did' he thought a touch of nostalgia settling on him as he watched the little boy play with his watch 'just like Misao' he couldn't help making the comparison again.

The two had a lot in common, especially their ability to forgive him no matter how badly he botched things up. He was amazed by how comforting that thought was and at some deep level he knew it was the main reason he stayed at the Aoiya rather than wander off again. Misao was the only person who could really understand him and forgive him. Her grandfather had died when she was very small. He promised himself right then that he would share his memories of Lord Makimachi with Misao as often as he could from now on.

"Hey! Remember that time Okita stole Hijikata's haiku book!" Harada exclaimed. Shimada laughed and to Aoshi's surprise so did Saito. Harada recounted gleefully how Okita and several of the younger members of the Shinsengumi had played a dangerous game of tag with the book.

"Commander Hijikata looked like he could breath fire!" Shimada guffawed. Omasa and Tokio, Harada and Saito's wives respectively, walked in carrying large trays full of food. As greetings and introductions were exchanged little Osono came in with two more men. They introduced themselves as Ozeki (the old flag bearer of the Shinsengumi) and Ogata (the Shinsengumi record keeper).

Tokio paused and smiled at Aoshi when she noticed how content her little son was on his lap. She leaned over to Omasa and whispered conspiratorially "He'd make a good father wouldn't he!" Aoshi's Oniwaban-trained ears caught every word as Omasa giggled and agreed. Omasa turned to Aoshi and asked him why he hadn't brought Misao with him.

"I didn't know I would be coming here or that there would be a party otherwise I would've been sure to invite her along." He replied. Both women encouraged him to bring her next time since they hadn't seen her in a while and they both enjoyed the young woman's cheerful company

Ozeki sat next to Saito and Ogata across from Shimada. Harada flitted from one end of the u-shape to the other helping the women serve sake to the newcomers and refill cups of the ones who were already there. They passed around the food as Harada chattered happily, putting the newcomers up to date with the current topic. Ozeki laughed as he shared his perspective on that haiku theft having been one of the many forced to run for lives with the book in their hands.

Ogata on the other hand wanted to hear about the incident at the base and again Harada happily recounted the events embellishing the details whenever possible. Unconsciously, Aoshi stroked little Soji's back listening to Harada's version of the events at the base and the child was starting to drift off into sleep. 'A little more sake and he'll have her fighting half the army!' he thought amused.

"Hey Capt! How come you didn't let her shoot at the guys with the Winchesters!" Ozeki complained. Aoshi turned to Saito as the man retrieved his sleepy son from Aoshi's lap and handed him to his wife. The child complained at being deprived of his new toy and called sleepily out to Aoshi and his father as his mother carried him off. Omasa followed them trying to comfort little Soji. Aoshi again was surprised at the feeling of regret that he suddenly experienced as the child was carried away. He picked up his teacup and shook it off, reasoning that it was just the old memories that were playing tricks on his mind.

"Wasn't necessary," Saito responded simply picking up his teacup again

"So what! It would've been fun!" Ozeki countered, Harada heartily agreed. Shimada and Ogata laughed

"That sounds like something Okita would say!" Ogata noted, a touch of nostalgia in his voice. All the men nodded and became serious. Harada suddenly raised his cup

"A toast to Okita! For the best game of tag in history!" he announced and all the men laughed "To Okita!" they all yelled including Saito. Aoshi merely raised his cup and went along with them quietly. As soon as their host was satisfied that the mood was cheerful again they went on discussing their new favorite subject: the current Okashira of the Oniwaban, Ms Misao Makimachi, occasionally noting the similarities in character between her and Okita.

"Can you imagine if those two had met?" Shimada asked. Aoshi frowned pensively and Saito chocked on his tea

"The level of noise in Kyoto would've quadrupled instantly!" he declared looking utterly horrified at the prospect, "even Shishio would've committed seppuku rather than face the combined **_might_** of their brains and mouths!" The other men laughed heartily and Aoshi smiled 'He's probably right!' from all he heard about Soji Okita it did sound as though the two would've gotten along famously! He could even imagine Hannya participating in any number of pranks instigated by them!

It surprised him to see how relaxed Saito was, he hadn't once reached for his cigarettes and the fact that his beloved kotetsu was on a rack instead of on his lap or his side spoke volumes in terms of how much he trusted the men in the room and how at ease he felt in their presence.

He was beginning to understand why Saito couldn't let go of the Shinsengumi. To him they were family not just old coworkers or fellow samurai. In that respect he supposed they weren't all that different he and Saito; he couldn't let go of Hannya and the others for the same motive. And it was that sense of family that had drawn him back to Misao and the Aoiya; and had given Kenshin's words such a strong effect during their fight at the library in Shishio's mountain fortress.

He was surprised too by how comfortable he felt among them. This was unusual for him. Misao was the one who usually excelled in this type of situation 'I wish I could've brought her with me!' he thought suddenly wishing Saito had told him where they were going, he could've sent for her. He on the other hand had never felt comfortable in any social gathering but he attributed it to the topic of conversation and he couldn't help feeling proud of his leader for impressing a group of strong men like the wolves of Mibu.

"Look at him! If his chest swells any more he'll explode!" Harada teased pointing his thumb at Aoshi and exploded into giant guffaws. Aoshi frowned 'Was I being that obvious?' he wondered, a little shocked that he'd let his guard down. A giant hand dropped on to his shoulder and he stiffened a little.

"Relax Shinomori! You should be proud of her! I know we are!" Shimada boasted cheerfully. The man's size and good nature made him think of Chikijo and suddenly he felt a yearning to return home and share with Misao what he'd learned today. Osono returned once more with three more men and to Aoshi's surprise he recognized all of them as regular customers of the Aoiya. One of them he'd seen on several occasions talking with Misao

"Finally! You're here!" Harada announced getting up to greet the new arrivals, "we were about to send out a rescue team! Can't have a Shinsengumi party without a Kondo!" patting the shortest one of them in the back. There was a lively exchange of greetings as all the men got up and gathered around the new arrivals. Aoshi got up but hung back until Harada rushed over and dragged him forward.

There was a redheaded man with freckles all over his nose and cheeks, he knew this was Shinpachi Nagakura, the second was a tall good-looking young man with long black hair and a slightly predatory look in his eyes very similar to Saito's, he wasn't at all surprised to find out that he had been a junior member of Saito's squad, his name was Kuwajiro Oishi. The third and last was a short and cheerful looking but seemingly shy young man with short dark hair wearing a western-style suit and since Saito was still in his police uniform and Aoshi was still in his western suit it made him the third person in the room not wearing regular Japanese garb. He knew this last one as Shuhei Tani but was shocked to learn that his real name was Shuhei Kondo.

"Yeah! Most people don't know that the Commander of the Shinsengumi had a son!" Tani explained non-chalantly at Aoshi's surprise. Harada invited everyone back to their seats and poured out sake for the newcomers and refilled the others present; except Tani who passed on the sake and took tea instead. He sat directly across from Aoshi with his best friend Kuwajiro on his right. Nagakura sat between Harada and Ogata across from Ozeki. Shuhei was the one he'd seen talking to Misao often. He wondered what sort of man the son of Kondo was.

Again the food was passed around and again Harada updated the newcomers on the conversation topics covered so far beginning with the game of haiku tag Okita had instigated. Again there was much laughter as the newcomers shared their own memories of the incident. When the subject inevitably returned to Misao and the incident at the base Aoshi was surprised to find out that they already knew the story.

"Ms Misao gave us a brief account of the events during lunch!" Tani explained shyly. Aoshi frowned, he didn't understand why it bothered him that she had shared this information with them 'after all it's not like it's a secret Aoshi!' he scolded himself

"Wow, there's a surprise! The little weasel-girl was so worried yesterday about what Shinomori would say I'm surprised she would tell anyone else!" Saito observed sarcastically. Aoshi frowned, Saito's comment made him realize why it was that it had bothered him that Shuhei already knew. He had to practically order her to tell him about it while Shuhei made it sound as though she'd just gone up and told him without any coaxing required.

"Capt Saito! Please do not refer to Ms Misao in that manner," Shuhei replied his voice calm and polite but a dangerous undertone lay behind every word. Saito smirked in amusement and surprise. Aoshi did a double take 'Is this the same shy man from just a minute ago!' he mused surprised to find Shuhei and Kuwajiro glaring dangerously at Saito. The transformation made him think of Himura.

"Great! First Shigure and now you! What is it about the _little weasel-girl_ that's got every single guy in this town jumping to her defense lately!" Saito asked, a mischievous look in his eyes. Aoshi frowned 'why is _he_ getting so worked up! It's not like Misao has anything to do with _him_!' he thought sipping his tea and watching Shuhei carefully. Harada spoke up

"Well she's cute! Why else!" he responded a slight note of mischief in his voice that went unnoticed by both Shuhei and Aoshi. Shuhei turned a serious expression on him

"That's a terribly simplistic explanation," Shuhei replied sounding offended, Kuwajiro nodded in agreement and encouragement of his friend "there is so much more to her then just mere physical beauty! She's strong, intelligent, clever as well as generous and kind. To merely say she's cute would be cheating her of her true worth!" Shuhei explained seriously to the men in the room who had been stunned silent by Shuhei's eloquent defense.

Aoshi's eyes narrowed as he listened. In his mind he quickly reviewed what he knew about Shuhei, where he lived, what his sword style was, what sort of business he had, etc; all the while making a list of his weaknesses and strengths. He stopped when he realized that his mind was classifying Shuhei as a potential threat and possible target. 'What's the matter with you Aoshi! He didn't say a single negative thing about her!' he scolded himself, 'in fact he's doing a much better job of defending her than you!' he admitted reluctantly to himself. But as his brain continued to process the information a small fact floated up to the top of the stack: though Shuhei had been coming to the Aoiya for over two years, the number of his visits had _increased_ after Misao's eighteenth birthday.

"Ok as I told the Ice Block before," Saito began and gestured towards Aoshi, "when I referred to _Makimachi_ by her proper name yesterday she told me not to because it sounded weird coming from me!" Saito explained "Is that satisfactory?" he added sarcastically. Shuhei thought about it for a moment then nodded reluctantly

"I suppose now that she's ok with your nick name for her, you'll be alright with her colorful nick names for you?" Aoshi asked remembering how good Misao was at creative insulting. He had almost laughed when Himura gave him a partial list of all the "interesting" names she had come up with for him when he wouldn't tell her where the Oniwaban group was.

"What nick names?" Shuhei asked intrigued. Aoshi suddenly felt a small satisfaction at knowing something he didn't

"Well, "Old Wolf" I can live with but "Willow-head" I have a bit of a problem with," Saito replied thoughtfully. All the men laughed. Aoshi smirked amused and every man there completely missed the conspiratorial glance that Harada and Saito exchanged.

"So Shinomori! Is it true about the little Okashira planning to never marry?" Harada asked a little more seriously as the sake continued to pass hands. Aoshi raised an eyebrow surprised by this line of question and wondered if the drink was starting to get to Mr. Harada.

"I'm sorry but why are you asking me this?" he countered not liking the private note of the question, he was surprised to hear Ogata answer

"I'm sorry it's just that our friend Mr. Yagi recently asked me to be a go-between for his son Tamesaburo and setup a miai with Ms. Misao. Mr. Okina flat-out refused us saying Ms. Misao had chosen never to marry!" he explained looking rather perturbed, "I apologize but that was rather a shocking thing to hear so I might have mentioned it to Sano. However, I'm afraid he doesn't seem to believe it!" Ogata finished apologetically

"Yes, that was her choice and I'm sorry if I seem rude but I don't see how it is anyone's concern but her own," he replied icily

"No offense Ogata but who can blame the little wea…_Okashira_!" Saito corrected himself; his tone between amused and annoyed, "the list of brainless, useless idiots that threw themselves at her was way too long!" Saito pointed out. Aoshi stared at him in astonishment, 'how in the world did he know that!' he thought

"Well, that's a shame! She's so cute! I bet she would have made a great wife!" Harada pointed out as he continued to flit back and forth refilling people's cups and passing the food around. Shuhei shook his head

"Again you're clumping her in with the common women," he began patiently

"What do you mean?" Aoshi asked coolly, not liking the fact that again Shuhei was invading his territory. Conversation slowed as the other men tuned in.

"I mean, that what would make her a wonderful companion isn't what would make ordinary women great companions," Shuhei answered calmly ignoring the cold, hard glare that was coming from Aoshi.

"Oh? Is that so?" Aoshi replied, trying to control the anger suddenly flaring inside of him.

"Yes, her strength and intelligence along with her quick wits and sense of humor make her ideal, especially in this Meiji Era," he responded amicably seemingly oblivious to the icy glares Aoshi was directing towards him "It's just a shame that the men of her same age don't have the maturity level necessary to understand the rare treasure that is Ms Misao!" he added solemnly

"Perhaps someone older then, like you Shuhei?" Kuwajiro suggested. Aoshi's eyes went wide with shock, his entire being suddenly rebelled against the idea 'He's getting too close! Eliminate him now!' said a voice in his head that sounded a lot like Hannya.

"I don't think so!" Aoshi snapped, "in any event this is not a subject that should be discussed here or by you!" he growled. 'And anyway she's not yours to protect! She's mine!' he thought indignant. Shuhei did a double take surprised by Aoshi's heated response. An eerie quiet settled over the room as all the others stopped to see how the exchange between Aoshi and Shuhei would end. Shuhei smiled and replied diplomatically

"I'm sorry Mr. Aoshi but Kuwajiro was merely suggesting…"

"Don't!" Aoshi cut him off forcefully glaring dangerously at Shuhei from across the room. The tension in the room mounted exponentially as both men stared each other down. Shuhei smiled agreeably but his eyes were full of challenge, it didn't look like he was going to back down. The glaring match ended as Harada suddenly appeared in front of Aoshi refilling his teacup and grinning innocently

"So Shinomori! I heard you fought the Battousai a couple of times not that long ago! Tell us is he still as girly-looking as he was back in the days of the revolution?" he asked innocently. Aoshi frowned and shot the man a calculating glance 'Figures you would come to the rescue of one from your wolf pack!' he thought coldly. He took a sip of his refreshed tea and schooled his features back into their usual stoic façade before answering.

"Yes he is," he answered calmly and took another sip of his tea as the noise in the room resumed with the men exchanging opinions and experiences about their encounters with Himura. Saito constantly growled at them not to call him Battousai because according to him the pathetic excuse for a swordsman that now lived in the Kamiya Dojo was not fit to be called Battousai.

Tokio and Omasu returned with more food and drink. This time they remained, saying that Shigure and Aiji had closed the shop early and gone over to the Kujacu's next door to visit with Hana and her cousin Anzu. Osono and the twins were caring for Soji. Saito wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and pulled her close. Omasu joined her husband in flitting about the room distributing food and drink, joining in their reminiscence and planning was to tease Shigure and Aiji when they returned.

Aoshi sipped his tea listening to Shimada relate a near deadly encounter he'd once had with the Battousai and how Okita and Saito's great timing had saved him. Occasionally, he would glance in Shuhei's direction and the man would just smile cheerfully back at him if he happened to be looking his way. It only made Aoshi angrier!

Little Osono walked in some time later bringing an unhappy Soji with her. Aoshi used the sudden distraction of the child running to claim his father's and everybody else's attention to quickly take a look at his watch. It said 4pm. There was still plenty of time before dark but he knew he'd better leave now if he wanted to talk to Misao before dinner. He rose and began to excuse himself from the party

"No don't go yet!" Harada exclaimed disappointed that Aoshi would leave when the party was getting good.

"I usually try to get home before dark so I can help with the evening duties at the Aoiya. I'm sorry but I must go now," he explained stoically and most of the time it was true. Except today…

"All right! I'll walk you out then!" Harada agreed, cheerfully jumping up and joining Aoshi. He bowed respectfully to the group and they all cheerfully waved inviting him to join them the next day at Ogata's place for an even bigger celebration.

"Remember to bring Misao with you tomorrow!" Tokio called out as he walked to the door. He turned back and nodded

"I will," he agreed calmly. Normally he would've give a more non-committal response to such invitations but the sudden thought of Misao attending this gathering with someone other than himself was something that he just could **_not_** accept! Harada chattered excitedly about how big Ogata's house was and how great a party they would have tomorrow afternoon. To Aoshi's relief they reached the door quickly and Harada gave him directions. He assured him it wouldn't be too hard and in fact judging by the directions he didn't he would have any problems finding it.

He was glad he didn't have to go to work tomorrow the confrontation with Shuhei had left him flustered and confused. He bowed and said his farewells once more to his host. One thing he was sure of as he walked away, he would keep a closer eye on Shuhei during his visits to the Aoiya and as for the trip to Tokyo the ministry was sending him on next week…well, he was sure he could find a way to bring her with him, 'Misao won't mind…I'm sure she'll enjoy visiting with Himura and his family,' he reasoned trying to avoid explaining to himself why Shuhei had rattled his usually unflappable composure…

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**Author note:** Well that's it until the next chapter! Aoshi is going to have to get his butt in gear now with the **_real_** competition heading his way in the form of Shuhei Kondo!

To JRhaye: I'm so glad you liked my little nod to Amelia! It is my small tribute to my favorite Slayers AU story! I know I don't have to tell you which! wink . As for Misao the **_little_** Okashira doing what five elite ninjas couldn't do…well I call that the Master Yoda syndrome and as for the Gatling guns themselves, well they were big and bulky therefore easily susceptible to TRD (Trench Run Disease). Can you tell I've got Star Wars in the brain! I know you were probably hoping to see some matchmaking schemes by the Oniwaban in this chapter but fear not you'll see what's been going on at the Aoiya in the next! I'm afraid I had to take most of this chapter to reset Aoshi's emotional dial. It's been frozen on the Anger and Guilt settings for so long that I needed a little help from the wolves of Mibu to speed things up!

To my anonymous reviewer "J": I'm glad you liked the interaction between Saito and Misao and I hope you liked Aoshi and Saito's interaction here! I'm sorry that it really doesn't fit the story to have Misao steal something from Watts. You see this chapter's appearance was his last. But as you probably noticed Saito has borrowed your absolutely perfect description of Watts! I hope you don't mind! I really loved it and may yet put it in Misao's mouth in the next chapter!

To Anime freak: I'm so glad you liked it! I hope you keep reading!


	3. The Plan

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker or Shinsengumi or Star Trek Voyager

**Timeline:** An Aoshi/Misao story set in canon approximately three years after the Jinchuu Arc

**Author Note: **In this chapter you will find that Aoshi is somewhat out of character. There is good reason! The wolves of Mibu (especially Shuhei Kondo) have sped up Aoshi's emotional reawakening and he's almost careening out of control. Have mercy!

Miai: formal Japanese date arranged for the intention of finding a marriage partner.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the only thing I am borrowing from Trek is Capt. Kathryn Janeway's last name. The actress who plays her is Ms. Kate Mulgrew. So the character of Mrs. Kate Janeway is actually loosely modeled after both the actress and the Trek captain, both of whom I admire greatly.

Just for clarification purposes, in Venezuela (it's where I grew up) when you sneeze for no medical reason it means someone is talking about you, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're saying bad things about you. This is in reference to Misao's sneezing fit in chapter two.

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**Part 3: _The Plan_**

Omasu leaned against the kitchen door listening intently for Misao's footsteps to fade into the distance. Misao was usually the one who distributed the lunchtime trays to customers because she could linger and gossip. Or at least that's what it sounded like sometimes, but Misao was a clever young woman, by chatting with their customers she could ascertain their needs and promote the businesses in the city, in turn the businesses that profited from Misao's subtle marketing shared it with her by offering the Aoiya discounts on products or promoting the Aoiya's multi-lingual staff to foreigners, therefore increasing the inn's profits.

It was one the reasons she was so popular around Kyoto. It was one of the main reasons they'd _all_ agreed Misao was the best leader for _these_ times. Omasu for one was exceedingly proud of her and she knew the others were too. They all felt she deserved to have all the happiness she dreamed of '_it's only fair after all the things she does…especially for him! _' She thought. So she and Okon had vowed that they would bring Hannya's Plan to fruition somehow

"Ok she's gone!" Omasu turned to Okon who had Shiro and Kuro firmly rooted to their spots with her best matronly glare. Okina just sipped his tea and read his book, calmly pretending to ignore the youngsters.

"Alright you two! You were in a better position to see what was going on this morning so spill it!" Okon commanded as Omasu joined her. Shiro and Kuro looked up at them like frightened deer

"Well, we heard the same things you heard," Kuro began, sounding confused

"Yes! But we couldn't _see_!" Omasu emphasized, a touch of exasperation in her voice.

"Well, there really isn't anything to tell, she started crying and he held her, but that's it really," Shiro volunteered and drained the rest of his tea

"It's a good thing he was hugging her! I hate to see her cry!" Kuro added sadly

"Wait a minute! He held her?" Okon repeated incredulous and Omasu's eyes went wide. Aoshi never held anyone, at least not of his own free will! The most physical contact he ever engaged in voluntarily was hand-to-hand combat; but in those cases the recipient of the physical contact would've been happier never getting it.

"Yep! He dried her face too!" Shiro confirmed, "I hate to see her cry too!" he emphasized

"We all do!" Omasu agreed. Obviously both men were missing the implication in Aoshi's choice of response this morning. But first they had to make sure they had all the facts straight 'don't want to jump to conclusions! Especially not when we are so close!' she thought unable to hold back the excitement that was building in her chest

"Now, did she throw herself on him or did he pull her towards him?" she asked hoping the answer was the latter

"Well, she was standing by the counter with a teacup in her hand when she started crying, but I couldn't see Aoshi from my angle at first," Shiro answered, "he must've been sitting in that little dark corner that he likes so much," he concluded pointing to a shadowy corner of the kitchen

"But he got up, wrapped an arm around her and then they sat down in Misao's favorite spot in the center so they were much easier to see," Kuro added, "and then he just held her and stroked her back, kinda like Hannya used to!" he concluded, completely oblivious to any hidden meanings in Aoshi's out-of-character behavior. Omasu and Okon stared at each other mirroring each other's excitement as both women realized what a major step this was in The Plan.

"I think it's time for phase two," Okon declared excitedly Omasu nodded grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"We're gonna need help though!" Omasu added, "I think we better clue them in," she concluded looking at the confused faces of both Kuro and Shiro. Okina looked up from his book now with open interest in this turn in the conversation.

"All right people we _all_ know how Misao feels about Aoshi, right!" Omasu began. Nods all around confirmed she wouldn't have to explain too much.

"Ok, I'll get straight to it! Nearly five years ago I got a letter from Hannya. He and the others were starting to get tired of Aoshi not being able to move on with his life…" Omasu began

"So they devised a plan which would eventually lead to the marriage of Aoshi and Misao, but as you all know there were several obstacles…" Okon added. And they went on taking turns explaining that Hannya had figured that Aoshi's inability to let go of them came down to the simple fact that he just felt responsible for their welfare and hated the thought of abandoning them in an era that had no place for them.

They were planning to destroy Kanryu, take all his money and return to Kyoto as triumphant heroes with plenty of money to retire. Hannya was planning to provide Misao's dowry but in order for their plans to work they had to wait until Misao was old enough to be married. In the meantime, he wanted Omasu and Okon to train Misao to be a perfect little bride and for that purpose he and the others had sent large amounts of money as well as some of the finest kimonos that could be found in all of Tokyo.

"Hannya loved her so much! He would've done anything for her…" Kuro remarked nostalgically as Shiro nodded in agreement mirroring the glum look on his pal's face

"Yes, and it would've worked except for…well what happened to them…" Omasu hesitated, " and that he returned with his soul in such a battered state," she whispered sadly

"And Misao was still so young and unprepared!" Okon added glumly,

"I'm surprised you didn't abandon the plan altogether," Okina concluded seriously, "So what's different now?" he asked, his curiosity piqued

"We did abandon The Plan! We even used the money Hannya sent to help repair the Aoiya when Fuji of the Destruction Army trashed it!" Okon added miserably. They had even gone as far as selling most of the kimonos to finance the reconstruction. The large amount of money created had allowed for the expansions and updates done to the Aoiya at that time.

"Only a couple of them are left now, a bridal kimono that's so exquisite I didn't have the heart to sell it and that beautiful blue one that Misao wore on her eighteenth birthday! We told her Hannya sent it before he died," she explained sadly. Okina nodded solemnly

"So that's where you two got all that money," he reasoned. The women fidgeted guiltily

"We've been working really hard to replace it this past year," Omasu quickly answered. Okina waved it off

"Don't worry about that! Misao's grandfather originally built the Aoiya so it rightfully belongs to Misao. You did the right thing. Now again, what makes you think things have changed," he asked curious as to what was motivating these women now because it couldn't just be the out-of-character behavior Aoshi exhibited this morning.

"Well, do you remember last year the fiasco in that miai at the Kaiba's?" Okon asked. The angry growls coming from Kuro and Shiro answered her question fairly quickly. Okina raised an eyebrow

The details to this day were still rather sketchy. Misao was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the incident. The date had taken place at the gardens of the luxurious Kaiba Estate. Misao had wandered off with young Kaiba and all seemed to be going well, though Okina knew Misao would still never agree to marry Kaiba no matter how good a match it was. She had merely gone along with his attempts at marrying her off just to keep him happy.

All Okina knew of the event was that one minute the two were talking by the gazebo and the next Misao was screaming. She'd stormed back to where Okina and Kaiba's parents were and demanded to be taken home as she wiped furiously at her face with the sleeve of her kimono. Young Kaiba had been found unconscious at the steps of the gazebo.

Okina had been bitterly disappointed but what could he do. There was no argument now that could improve her views on the young men of Kyoto. There had been many prospects as soon as she turned eighteen and all from the very best families in Kyoto but each young man had been worst than the last, Kaiba had been the final straw! He really couldn't blame her…

"I do believe that he was the most rational one of us all. He received the news calmly and was very supportive of Misao in her decision to demonstrate her Oniwaban training on young Kaiba, even going as far as complimenting her on how well she was keeping up with her martial arts training, which made her very happy. He didn't lose his composure as some of us did," he emphasized looking pointedly at Kuro and Shiro who had nearly declared all out war with the Kaiba family. Not that he blamed them; Gozaburo Kaiba had thoroughly upset her, to the point where she had decided to never marry…ever!

"That's what you think!" Omasu replied excitedly, "I was so mad at him for not showing any emotion that I was gonna let him have a piece of my mind! I went to his room that night but he wasn't there! I caught a glimpse of him leaving from the back door so I followed him!" she began gleefully as everyone huddled around to listen…

_Though Omasu specialized in stealthy pursuit she still found it difficult to keep Aoshi in sight but as she took notice of his route she could guess where he was going! It was a surprise at first since she, like the others, had completely bought his calm act during dinner when Okina explained what happened at the miai with the Kaiba's. _

_She took a shortcut to the Kaiba's estate and waited. Sure enough he showed up at the property and stealthily made his way in. She followed him as he searched the place for the room containing his target. She'd been surprised to see the satisfied smirk on his face when he found the man in a relatively isolated part of the house. _

_She listened to the man demand Aoshi identify himself…_

_She listened to the distinctive sound of bones cracking…_

_She listened as the man begged for mercy…_

_She risked getting closer so she could hear what Aoshi was saying. At this new distance she could hear the soft purr in his voice that had meant certain death to so many if they did not comply with his wishes and from the open window the bright light of the full moon showed her what was going on inside…_

"_This is your one and only warning so listen carefully Kaiba!" Aoshi began. The man whimpered and squirmed as he cowered in a corner cradling his freshly broken hands. Aoshi advanced on the man again and picked him up by the front of his night robe. Kaiba whimpered pathetically, fear clearly evident in his deathly pale face. Omasu caught a slight glimpse of what looked like a puddle of water in the corner Kaiba had just occupied_

_"Come near my Misao again and you'll know pain beyond description! **Touch** my Misao again and you'll pay for it with your life!" Aoshi hissed furiously and tossed the man back into his corner. Kaiba nodded vigorously in a lame attempt at appeasing Aoshi's wrath. The puddle around Kaiba grew as Aoshi took another warning step towards him advising him that if his visit caused any harm to come to the Aoiya or it's inhabitants, specifically **his** Misao, the entire Kaiba clan would suffer the consequences. Then he turned and left as swiftly and stealthily as he had arrived…_

Omasu paused here, her heart thundered with the excitement of having followed him unseen that night. She waited for their reactions

"I can't believe he went and didn't take us with him," Kuro noted glumly. The women threw their hands up in the air and rolled their eyes in exasperation.

"Kuro, don't be an idiot! Don't you know what this means?" Omasu whispered harshly, trying to keep her voice low so Misao wouldn't hear. The Plan would be shot to pieces if either Misao or Aoshi found out what was going on

"Did he really say _my Misao_?" Shiro interrupted giving Omasu a suspicious look. Kuro mirrored Shiro's suspicious glance as far as he was concerned; women were strange and manipulative creatures that could get you into loads of trouble if you weren't careful and from the look on Omasu's face this whole thing was starting to look like trouble! He was not about to provoke either Aoshi or Misao, oh no siree!

"He said it! I heard him loud and clear!" she replied thoroughly offended at her Oniwaban hearing skills being questioned. Okina shook his head

"Still Omasu, that doesn't prove anything. Aoshi has always been protective of Misao and, as Kuro pointed out, Aoshi hasn't done anything that any of us wouldn't have done. He's always been possessive of her so it's possible that in his righteous anger he slipped, that's all," Okina reasoned. The two women rolled their eyes and Omasu opened her mouth to defend herself when a new voice spoke up

"Well then if he slipped he does so quite often and not just when he's angry," pointed out the newcomer. All five ninjas jumped two feet in the air!

"Mrs. Kate! _Please_ don't sneak up on us like that!" Kuro begged as Omasu struggled to catch her breath thinking 'How in the world does she do it!' and the others tried to regain their wits. Okina was the first to recover

"Mrs. Kate! Please join us!" Okina called out excitedly as he roughly shoved poor Shiro out of the way to make room next to him for the foreigner. The old woman politely accepted the invitation, placing her tray next to Okina, then turned to apologize to the others for surprising them. Omasu rolled her eyes as Okina's brain turned to mush in the woman's presence and his attention was completely diverted from the main topic.

Mrs. Kate Janeway was an old American woman that Misao had met years ago on her very first attempt to find Aoshi. The old timer had convinced Misao to temporarily reconsider her hasty attempt. Thus, the tear-filled lonely little Misao had made a valuable and wise friend that day.

She travels all over the world collecting folk stories, learning languages and sharing her medical expertise. Her gentle voice and patient demeanor easily charms people. Her motherly wisdom had become priceless to Misao and the other women of the Oniwaban who had all been raised without the benefit of a mother. She had endeared herself to the point where the high-collared long-sleeved white shirts, plain gray skirts and the tight, severe bun in which she wrapped her gray hair no longer looked weird. She usually spends half the year in her ranch in the USA and the other half traveling all over the world, but since she met Misao she has been spending between five to seven months out of the year in Japan.

And for some reason that Omasu couldn't conceive even Aoshi had fallen under the old timer's spell. He listened very carefully to her advice and applied himself whole-heartedly to learning every language that she taught him. Omasu realized as Okon put Mrs. Kate up to date on the details of The Plan that if they could convince her to help then their chances for success greatly improve!

"A valid argument," Mrs. Kate began thoughtfully as Okon recounted their evidence, "however, both events could be interpreted as merely an older brother doing his brotherly duty," she pointed out logically. Okina nodded vigorously in agreement and Omasu's heart sank, that was the last thing she wanted to hear!

"That's exactly what I was going to tell them!" Okina added eagerly. Omasu rolled her eyes she was starting to wish she hadn't told them.

"So you see, those are _not_ the reasons why I think this _Plan_ will succeed!" she concluded a motherly smile blossoming on her face. Hope was renewed instantly in Omasu as she begged her to tell them what she thought.

"Do you remember the dress Aoshi-chan brought Misao-chan from the USA?" she began. Nods and chuckles all around confirmed she'd put everyone in the right frame of mind. "It's just too bad you were all too _busy_ teasing the children about their new western wardrobe or you would have seen with your own eyes why you're instincts are correct girls!" she scolded, her soft melodious foreign accent taking the edge off the reprimand.

"Well, while you were being chastised and chased out of the room by your young Okashira I was watching Aoshi-chan carefully!" Once satisfied that she had everyone's attention she continued

"You see he agonized endlessly about what to get her during our tour and once he decided he worried constantly about whether she would like it or not!" she explained, "he spoke of nothing but her the entire time," she added. The women's excitement rose as they hung on Mrs. Kate's every word

"Of course, we all know she loved it, but did any of you see Aoshi-chan's reaction when she put it on?" she asked her tone and the knowing smile on her face clearly indicated she had seen it. They all watched her expectantly waiting for her to continue

"Well! What was it?" Omasu blurted out unable to contain her excitement. Mrs. Kate's expression became serious and thoughtful as she sipped her tea

"Well the symptoms were classic," she began in a clinical tone, "the quickening pulse, darkened irises, a dramatic rise in temperature, accelerated breathing, a slightly dropped jaw, an inability to look away and just so you know the things he was looking at are not things brothers look at!" she concluded in an authoritative tone.

She paused to sip her tea again quietly for a moment as she recalled the day of their return from the USA. More had occurred after they left the room but those moments seemed too intimate for her to share them. She had stopped things before they escalated because it seemed to her Aoshi was slowly allowing himself to be swept away by physical impulses. He wasn't really thinking of the emotional effect that an intimate physical contact would have on Misao, in fact, she would bet her ranch that he wasn't thinking at all! A potentially disastrous situation since Aoshi is still in denial about how he really feels about her.

"Of course it's worthy to note that this is not an isolated incident! Your attempts to give Misao-chan a more feminine appearance have had a similar effect lately but he has been more careful to conceal it," she added solemnly. Omasu grinned from ear to ear, she mentally kicked herself for totally missing that important clue, but just the same if Mrs. Kate said The Plan would work then she believed it!

"And that isn't the only reason," she continued, "Have you ever watched them when they're together? Aoshi-chan is relaxed when she's near him, in fact, you could even say he's happy when she's there. His expression isn't as guarded and the sorrow and loneliness in his eyes vanishes at the sound of her voice. He listens carefully to anything she says and he remembers every detail of the times they spend together. He's always keenly aware to every change she exhibits and makes sure to let her know that he's noticed, especially when no one else does!" Mrs. Kate explained. "But most of all he _never_ treats her like a child! Something all of us are guilty of doing," she emphasized

Omasu and Okon stared at the old woman with open admiration 'Boy! She would've made an awesome ninja!' Omasu thought amazed by the amount of insight the old foreigner had gathered in the relatively short time she'd known Aoshi. Omasu mentally kicked herself for not letting Mrs. Kate in on The Plan much sooner. 'We could be planning a wedding by now!'

"Mrs. Kate, you said that he always calls Misao '_my Misao_', but I've never heard him say it?" Shiro interjected dubiously, Kuro nodded in agreement. The guys still weren't buying into 'The Plan'.

"Well, he usually doesn't do it in Japanese, usually in English or French, mostly in Spanish and really to anyone who happens to ask him about her in a language other than Japanese," she replied thoughtfully, "I don't know why though…"

"Well, then Mrs. Kate, isn't it possible that it may just be a misuse of the language?" Okina countered politely but regretted it immediately when faced with a mighty glare from Mrs. Kate.

"Mr. Okina, if there is anything I am supremely confident of is my students' skills!" she retorted in an icy tone, "and as far as Aoshi-chan is concerned he is the most gifted language student I have ever trained!" she added her tone clearly daring him to challenge her further. Okina quickly tried to backpedal

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to question…"

"I suppose next you will be asking me how I noticed his physical reactions to her when nobody else has!" she interrupted sounding thoroughly offended. "And perhaps you'll ask me how is it that I know so much about the mind of _my student_!" she continued defensively, growing more and more irritated by the second.

Okina sipped his tea quietly responding with a barely perceptible nod not daring to look at the woman in the eye. Mrs. Kate could be quite formidable and capable of verbally skewering anyone especially in the defense of a student and her knowledge of said student. Her wrath was not to be incurred! It surprised the girls that Okina was actually opposing her given the serious crush the man had on her.

"I'm sure it's because of your medical training, isn't it?" Okon asked in an attempt to save Okina from Mrs. Kate's verbal lashing

"Very good child!" she replied, smiling at Okon her mood brightening again instantly, if there was one quick way to make Mrs. Kate happy it was by demonstrating that you're actually paying attention when she's speaking

"Yes, as you know I spent many years working for army hospitals in the US, especially during the civil war and I have learned to discern even the smallest change in a person's condition through mere observation and I have been teaching for many, many years and have developed ways to extend those same observational skills to reading my students!" she elaborated then glanced at Okina as he blushed and buried his face in his teacup. She sighed

"Mr. Okina, I understand you're reluctance," she began gently, "it all sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?" she asked gently

"I don't want to see her hurt again," Okina replied softly, she patted him reassuringly on his shoulder

"I know and that is exactly what makes _him_ reluctant to admit what he's feeling," she sighed and took another sip of her tea before continuing,

"He doesn't feel that he deserves her love because of what he put her through, he doesn't realize that she has long since forgiven him and that being loved isn't about what you think you deserve to receive, it is about what you're willing to give," she shrugged

"Their story is one I have seen repeated _many_ times before," she concluded with a smile on her face and a far away look in her eyes

"Well put Mrs. Kate! I'll start planning the wedding!" Okina added excitedly trying to liven the mood. Mrs. Kate rolled her eyes

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Mr. Okina! They still have a long way to go," she replied but smirked in amusement and just liked that their disagreement vanished. Smiling, Okina poured more tea in her cup

"So what would you suggest we do now Mrs. Kate?" Okon asked eagerly, Omasu watched her expectantly.

"Well, very little at this point. Perhaps enlisting the assistance of a close female friend of her age might help in the effort to keep her looking her best, we all know she can be less than feminine sometimes…" she replied thoughtfully, "beyond that there is nothing we can do but wait and watch for any opportunities in which we could give them a little push in the right direction!" she winked conspiratorially and sipped her tea

"But remember that meddling in affairs of the heart, if not done properly, could be detrimental to the couple in question," she advised gravely as she stood up gracefully and politely excused herself from the group, Okina nodded his agreement. "I trust you're both aware of the consequences if you push too hard!" Both women agreed solemnly with their minds already working on possible candidates to bring in to their little confidence group.

Shiro and Kuro, feeling a bit like fish out of water in this conversation, decided to keep their mouths shut, they didn't feel at all comfortable interfering. Both believed that Aoshi and Misao would get to it when they were ready and meddling was not advisable. Pissing either of them off was bad for ones health anyway so they firmly resolved to stay out of it somehow. They quickly downed the last of their tea and politely excused themselves to return to their duties.

Mrs. Kate bowed, thanked them all for their company and left saying she had some arrangements to make for her trip to Aizu next week and that she'd be back soon. Okina jumped up from his seat and happily followed her out of the kitchen offering to assist her in making her arrangements. She agreed amicably and the two were off as Mrs. Kate detailed her plans to meet with Megumi and again trade medical experience with the clever young doctor.

As if she'd been waiting for her cue a youthful, feminine voice rang out from the door. 'Sakura! Of course!' Omasu thought excitedly as she rushed to the door. The girl was one of the most intelligent and fashionable young women in all of Kyoto! 'Perfect! Sakura is very girly and a hopeless romantic! She'll help us!' she thought as Sakura walked in grinning widely with Naruto and Sasuke at either side of her. She walked them all to the kitchen and offered them lunch as she called for Misao…

Misao arrived in the kitchen and was happy to see all her friends. As she sat down to talk and eat lunch with Naruto and Sasuke Omasu silently beckoned Sakura away. Motioning for her to be silent she took the girl's wrist and rushed her away from the kitchen to Okon's room. Once inside the two women huddled around Sakura

"Sakura we need your help!" Okon whispered excitedly being extremely mindful of Misao's Oniwaban hearing range. Sakura just glanced from one woman to the other in confusion 'Why would ninjas need help from me?' she wondered. She was all book smarts after all and knew very little of martial arts beyond the few self defense techniques Misao had taught her but all became clear as Omasu and Okon ran through a quick explanation of 'The Plan'.

"That is sooo sweet! No wonder Misao loved them so much! Hannya especially!" Sakura whispered dreamily

"So you'll help us?" Omasu whispered gleefully

"Oh, you bet!" Sakura replied enthusiastically and the three women huddled together and made their plans…

* * *

Aoshi was glad he didn't have to go to work tomorrow the confrontation with Shuhei had left him flustered and confused. It greatly upset him to realize that everything he knew about Shuhei he had learned it from Misao! In fact, many of his recent conversations with her had always included some information about _Mr. Tani_! He recalled now her showing him a beautiful emerald hairpin of a foreign design that she said he gave her as a birthday present. It made his blood boil!

'Snap out if it Aoshi!' he scolded himself as he realized that his distraction had caused him to make a wrong turn. When Misao had first told him about Shuhei, he hadn't thought anything of him after all she had said he was an old member of the Shinsengumi, so he simply assumed he was like Saito. It surprised him how much the man's personal interest in her upset him and his brain kept classifying him as a threat.

'Misao's a good judge of character she wouldn't let him stay at the Aoiya if he were dangerous,' he mused 'I'm probably more dangerous to her than him,' he reflected but shook the thought off. He had expressed a similar thought to her on the train ride back to Kyoto after the incident with Enishi and his gang. He smiled as he remembered, her voice suddenly blocking the noise around him…

_"Lord Aoshi, the only thing I ever feared you would do to me was that you would leave me, and you did it twice. __I know both times you did it to protect me, so it's ok. You've always done what was best for me. I trust you!"_

He had promised her he'd never leave her again and she smiled brightly at him joy dancing in her eyes. She'd made a joke about men making promises to pretty girls that they don't intend to keep and the worried look on his face prompted her to make _many_ jokes about how seriously he always took everything. The rage and guilt of his friends' deaths had eased then and he had finally felt at peace with himself.

She had been happy the whole way despite their "special cargo" or perhaps because of it. She had after all accomplished her goal and found those she cared about most and brought them home with her. In fact, his promise had caused him to nearly leave his job at the ministry when they asked him to go to America, but Misao insisted that it would be a great opportunity for him so he'd reluctantly agreed to go.

"What's happening…" heaskedhimselfand frowned. The memory had caused an unfamiliar tightness in his chest. He stopped for a moment to examine this new sensation. Suddenly his mind was flooded with images of her! In his memories she smiled, she laughed, she sang, she danced and she even cried and all of it abruptly made him feel… **_alive_**! He didn't know how else to describe it. He felt as though a void had suddenly been filled. A new power seemed to course through him making him feel stronger than he'd felt in years!

He hurried now through the streets of Kyoto, rushing to get to the Aoiya as soon as possible, spurred into maximum speed by a sudden urge to see her. The memory of Misao twirling about the room in the powder blue satin gown he brought her from America suddenly blocked out all the other memories spinning around in his head. He remembered how the skirt had billowed around her as she spun and she laughed as she watched how the unfamiliar material moved. His heart thundered in his chest as he recalled how her hair had flow about her head and her eyes glittered with mirth. The low cut bust line of the dress had accentuated every curve she'd acquired in the past three years.

The sound of her voice blocked all the noise around him again as he recalled how she'd cheerfully thanked him again and again for all the gifts he brought her. She wound up the music box he gave her time and time again and twirled around the room endlessly imitating the ballerina in the box. She'd tried on the rose-scented perfume he gave her and that scent had remained with him for days. He recalled how the skirt draped around the two of them as she threw her arms around him.

'_I'm so happy you're back safely, Lord Aoshi!_' she had joyfully exclaimed. She sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned against his chest. '_I'm so glad you're back safe!_' she had repeated softly. His arms had unconsciously wrapped around her. He marveled at how soft her hair was as his fingers became lightly tangled in it. Her face was turned up towards him but her eyes had remained closed. The scent of the rose perfume slowly eroded his self-control and her lips had seemed so warm and inviting. Slowly he had moved towards them…

A harsh racking cough coming from a passing monk jolted him suddenly out of his reverie. An old man paused momentarily at the bottom of a long staircase as he tried to catch his breath before beginning the long climb. 'And that's exactly how things had ended then too…' he recalled. Mrs. Kate had been on her way out of the room but stopped and coughed loudly, wheezing dangerously. Misao had shot up, her concern for the old woman's health putting her at his teacher's side in an instant and safely out of Aoshi's reach.

'_I'm all right dear…the tea just went down the wrong way, that's all!_' Mrs. Kate had assured her then suggested that Misao ought to put her kimono back on or she might catch a cold, the weather was still a little too cold after all for a summer dress. Misao had cheerfully agreed, innocently oblivious of what had almost transpired between her and Aoshi. As she gathered her gifts she paused for a moment

'_Lord Aoshi, are you alright?_' she had innocently inquired when she saw him hunched over with his forehead resting heavily on his raised knee. His breathing had been ragged, his face flushed. At Misao's urgent beckoning Mrs. Kate had turned back into the room and knelt in front of him. Her old gnarled hand reached for his chin and pulled his face up. Her other hand touched his forehead. She examined him with clinical detachment and out of the corner of his eye he could see Misao's worried face as Mrs. Kate reached her swift diagnostic.

'_Just a case of travel fatigue child nothing to worry about!_' she concluded with a reassuring smile towards Misao who breathed a sigh of relief. She prescribed a cool bath to lower the fever and plenty of rest. Misao quickly volunteered to prepare the bath for him but Mrs. Kate had taken that duty from her and sent her instead to change and get his dinner ready. Unquestioning, Misao had jumped up to follow the doctor's orders and they'd both left the room leaving him alone to silently reprimand himself for his unforgivable lapse.

He shook his head 'No, this isn't how Lord Makimachi would've wanted me to protect her,' he scolded himself. He trotted up to the old monk making his way very, very slowly up the stairway and offered him assistance. The old man gratefully accepted and Aoshi loaded him onto his back then briskly made his way up the long stairs. The brief exercise had the same effect of clearing his mind as that ice cold bath that day.

The old monk complimented him on how short his speed had made the long staircase seem as they quickly reached the top. He thanked Aoshi for his help and told him he would offer a prayer for Aoshi's continued good health and vigor. Aoshi gratefully accepted both his compliment and his prayer and walked towards the offering box. He dropped all the coins in his pocket in the box and put his hands together in prayer

'Lord Makimachi I know you would've wanted better for your little ninja princess than an old wolf or a blood-stained demon. I will not falter! This time I will not fail! I will protect your innocent angel from all those unworthy of her, including myself!' he promised fervently to the spirit of his mentor wherever it may be. And as for the new "power" he felt, well, he would simply call it "determination" and leave it at that. He turned, bowed to the old monk and ran back down the stairs

'Trust in me Master! I will protect her!' he promised firmly as he raced back towards the Aoiya…

When he finally arrived at the Aoiya given his current state of mind he was slightly relieved to find that Misao was not there. He stopped Okon to ask her where she'd gone. He wasn't surprised to hear that she was with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura at Sakura's house. Saito had informed him that the cadets involved in the incident yesterday had been given a couple of days paid leave. He turned to leave but paused…

"Okon, How often did Mr. Tani come to the Aoiya while I was gone?" he called back. She stopped and turned around with a mildly surprised look on her face.

"At least twice a month, I think. I can't recall how many days he stayed each time, sometimes it seemed like he hadn't left at all! I can double-check the records, why?" she answered, sounding a bit confused.

"No, that won't be necessary, I was just curious, that's all," he answered blandly though he did not like the answer, 'I will check the records later though,' he added to himself. The number of his visits last year alone was four times greater than the first year he'd begun coming to the Aoiya. No, he did not like it _at all_!

"Just out of curiosity, does Misao spend a lot of time with Mr. Tani? More so than with the other regular guests, I mean," he inquired trying to sound casual though "casual" is not something he could do well. Okon's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to recall but slowly she shook her head.

"Not really, you know Misao, she likes to make friends with everyone who comes in here!" she replied in a slightly amused tone. Aoshi nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but instead he nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

"Well except for that one time…" she began thoughtfully, she tilted her head to one side and tapped her cheek pensively. Aoshi turned back and waited for her to continue 'I have a bad feeling about this…' he thought

"Well, there was that time when they went to the cemetery together. They spent almost the whole day together… I think he treated her to lunch but I can't remember…" Okon explained but her account came to a screeching halt as she took in the look on Aoshi's face. The word "Angry" was a severe understatement!

"She went to visit _their_ graves with _him_!" he repeated unable to contain an angry growl. Okon barely nodded, unable to keep from staring at him. The look on her face between surprised and amazed. Embarrassed by his outburst he turned on his heel and didn't wait for an answer

"Thank you Okon! Sorry to bother you…" Aoshi called back icily over his shoulder as he stalked off to his room.

'Smooth Aoshi! Way to be casual!' he scolded himself angrily for losing control in front of Okon. But what was more upsetting was the fact that _Mr. Tani_ had yet again trespassed. _This_ however was the worst offense yet! The day trip to the cemetery was _his_ time! He didn't go to visit them with anyone but her and she didn't go with anyone but him.

"Until now!" he growled to himself. He slammed the door closed behind him as he entered his room. He ripped off his jacket and roughly tossed it aside. He paced from one end of his room to the other brusquely removing his vest and tie as he did. Normally, he didn't indulge in such _fits_ but today he couldn't seem to get a handle on all the conflicting emotions that were running rampant through his heart and strangely enough the _tantrum_ actually seemed to be helping.

'Well, it's not like we have some formal contract!' he reproached himself trying to sound reasonable as he roughly removed his shirt and continued to pace. But in fact, none of the others ever offered to come along with them because there was simply an unspoken agreement that the cemetery trips were _their_ special time. In the beginning, their trips to Hannya and the others' graves were simply a quick trip to the cemetery to leave flowers then spend the rest of the afternoon at the temple praying.

But that had soon ended because the austere atmosphere of the temple's meditation chambers forced Misao to be extremely quiet and very still a situation that he quickly realized he could not tolerate because he liked hearing her singsong, cheerful voice. So instead he suggested that every time they went to the cemetery they should always plan to do something other than going to the temple afterwards. Misao had joyfully agreed and their plans quickly became elaborate enough that they'd make an entire day of it. At first she'd get up early and pack a special lunch for the two of them but once he started working at the ministry he simply treated her to lunch at the Sukabeko knowing how much she liked the place and how she hated getting up early.

'I bet that _wolf_ just insinuated himself along!' he seethed knowing Misao couldn't ever say no to a friend, he made a mental note to ask her when she returned, 'like a starved wolf stalking a defenseless lamb!' he raged, in his mind Shuhei's face popped up smiling at him as if to taunt him, 'well this shepherd knows how to deal with hungry wolves, Shuhei Kondo!' his wrath reaching an all time high. He paused for a moment on his rampage as his foot landed on something small, flat and round. He lifted his foot to look at what he had stepped on

'Oh no…' he sighed heavily as he reached down and picked up the small object he'd just stepped on. He looked at his waist and realized the top two buttons of his pants were missing. A slight pang of guilt hit him as he surveyed the damage he'd done to his clothes. The buttons on his jacket and vest were miraculously intact but the two bottom buttons of his shirt were also missing.

He cursed softly as he set about gathering his clothes; folding them neatly and hanging his jacket on the special rack Misao had gotten Kuro to make for it and his trench coat. He searched around his room for the missing buttons and placed them carefully on top of his shirt. He removed his pants and folded them neatly placing the missing buttons on top. Another pang of guilt hit him as he realized who would be the one to fix his clothes later.

"Great…" he mumbled irritated feeling the heat of embarrassment rising in his face. He knew Misao would never ask him what happened and she would cheerfully set about her task without asking for anything in return. It aggravated him further to realize that he never fully appreciated any of the things she did for him. That was one situation that he would correct starting today!

He chuckled as he realized the irony of it. He was supposed to be taking care of her but in fact it was the other way around. When he'd gotten tired of just sitting around praying and meditating she'd talked him into learning languages with Mrs. Kate, when she noticed his desire to contribute in the Aoiya's welfare she found him the job at the ministry. She went out of her way to make sure that nothing disturbed the order of his world. He looked over to his desk and found both his yukata and his shinobi outfit clean and neatly folded sitting side by side on top of it.

'She knew I would get off early so she left my ninja suit out in case I wanted to go workout,' he sighed feeling humbled again by her thoughtfulness. He swore he would find some way to reciprocate her many considerations as he took the ninja uniform and put it on feeling the need to liberate all this restless energy in a slightly less destructive way. He opened the door to his room and headed towards the training hall…

* * *

Okon rushed into the study where Okina and Mrs. Kate were playing a game of Go dragging a breathless Omasu behind her. 

"You will never believe what just happened!" both women practically yelled, breathlessly Omasu encouraged Okon to tell them what had happened in the hallway with Aoshi. In excruciating detail Okon recounted word for word and action for action her brief conversation with Aoshi.

"Well this is interesting…" Mrs. Kate began thoughtfully and asked them to clarify exactly whether Misao did invite someone other than Aoshi on her visit to their graves. Okina explained that Misao had gone alone but had run into Shuhei on her way out of the cemetery where he was leaving flowers on his brother's grave. He'd offered to buy her lunch at a noodle stand near the cemetery where she rendezvoused with Sakura and the boys. Sasuke and Naruto had been on leave and about to go into their special weapons training so Misao had invited him to spend the afternoon with her and her friends since he had no where to be that day and seemed a bit depressed.

"As you both know Misao doesn't like to leave anyone out, especially if they're feeling down!" Okina reprimanded. They both fidgeted guiltily as Mrs. Kate and Okina leveled them with a reproving glare. These were details neither Okon nor Omasu knew because like everyone else at the Aoiya, they had tuned Misao out when she tried to tell them about her day. In fact, Aoshi was the only one who actually listened _all_ the time.

"This is not good!" Mrs. Kate began, "forgive me for being blunt but if you girls wish for Aoshi to change in the way he treats Misao then you should take a good look in the mirror and change they way _you_ treat her! Lead by example!" she sighed in exasperation, "now you may have forced a confrontation between Mr. Shuhei and Aoshi that may cause Aoshi a great deal of embarrassment and Mr. Shuhei a great deal of pain!" she lectured and shook her in disapproval

"Not to mention that Mr. Shuhei might misinterpret the situation, Misao will lose a friend and we'll lose a very good customer!" Okina scolded. The women hung their heads in shame, who knew that tuning out their over-eager Okashira while she talked their ears off would come and bite them in the butt so viciously later.

"Exactly!" Mrs. Kate agreed, "fortunately for us Aoshi is a cautious young man and will likely check his facts with Misao before doing anything about it, once he's calmed down, that is," she reasoned logically, "the damage is not irreparable and some good may come from it," she concluded

"Yes, at the very least Aoshi may start communicating with Misao a little more openly and it won't be long before they figure things out for themselves after that," Okina added solemnly. Mrs. Kate and Okina watched the two girls sitting quietly looking like chastised little children and took pity on them

"But in all fairness, we really have to admit that it is encouraging. At least Aoshi is starting to admit that he _feels_," Okina stated a little smirk of amusement tugging at one side of his mouth. Okon and Omasu looked up hopefully

"True enough, as long as he's remembering how to love," Mrs. Kate paused and mirrored Okina's amused smirk, "then it probably won't hurt for him to be a little jealous…"

* * *

Somewhere on the roof of the Aoiya, Shiro and Kuro happily went about their business of repairing a few loose shingles… 

"Hey Kuro! What's up with Aoshi today?" Shiro asked, looking from his work for a moment. Kuro looked up pausing for a moment

"What do you mean?" he asked a bit confused at the same time hoping his buddy wasn't thinking about joining in with the girls and their crazy matchmaking schemes.

"I just passed over his room and heard him throwing stuff, pacing, cursing…you know non-Aoshi stuff," he replied going back to his work.

"Oh, that! Well I just overheard him talking to Okon and he got pretty steamed when she told him Misao went to the cemetery with Tani," Kuro shrugged, Shiro looked up from his work again

"But I thought she went alone and ran into him afterwards?" Shiro asked confused

"She did and she just felt sorry for him and invited him to hang out with her and her friends but you know how the girls are, they always tune her out," Kuro explained simply not pausing from his work

"Oh, I see," Shiro began as he resumed his work, "well, I hope Aoshi's finally figured out Tani's trying to put the moves on Misao!"

"Yeah but you gotta hand it to the guy though he's real patient and real smooth," Kuro admitted

"No kidding! If Aoshi doesn't get up off his butt Tani's gonna run off with his woman!" Shiro pointed out and shook his head wondering why in the world his two Okashira had to make everything so complicated…

**

* * *

**

**Author note:** Kuro, Shiro I couldn't have said it better myself! They really need to start communicating here! And seriously I set out to write a story about Misao and Aoshi and know I'm coming up with all this character development for the people around them. Well, I guess it's because I felt the need to really clean house! It seemed to me that Misao isn't really taken very seriously sometimes by her comrades because of the way she is so I set about explaining some things. Like Kuro and Shiro, they know what's going on but would rather stay out of it, they're simple-minded guys after all. Okon and Omasu are too busy planning and plotting to notice that things right under their nose. And so I introduced an outside Sage who can see things a little more objectively and give people a good grounding when they take off on flights of fancy!

**Autumndays:** I am so glad you've enjoyed my writing thus far! Hang in there! The ending is going to be killer!

Keep reading and reviewing everyone! Any and all criticism is welcome and appreciated. Thank you!


	4. All I ask of You

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi or Star Trek Voyager

**Timeline:** An Aoshi/Misao story set in canon approximately three years after the Jinchuu Arc

**Steal the old Man's Bundle:** this card game is simple it is played with a regular deck of cards however you need at least one complete deck per player. The object of the game is to be the player with the largest stack of cards when there are no more cards to draw. In order to begin stacking cards you must have two cards of the same suit. For example: if you have two queen of hearts you put them together face up in front of you, if you have two 3 of spades you can stack them on top of those on your next turn and so on. The twist comes this way: if another player happens to have a card that matches exactly the card on the top of your pile that player can take your pile and add it to the top of his/her pile on their turn.

Any questions about this game just email me:

**_Shinsengumi cast _: **

**Keisuke Yamanami – **Vice**-**commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)

**Akesato (**Ozusu**) – **Yamanami's girlfriend

**Shuhei Kondo** – member 6th squad aka Shuhei Tani

**Kuwajiro Oishi** – member 3rd squad

**Shinpachi Nagakura** – leader 2nd squad

**Hajime Saito** – leader 3rd squad aka Goro Fujita

**Sanosuke Harada** – leader 10th squad aka Sano Mazaki

**Kai Shimada** – member 6th squad

**Gensaburo Inoue** – leader 6th squad (deceased)

**Susumu Yamazaki – **spy (deceased)

**Soji Okita** – leader 1st squad (deceased)

**Isami Kondo (**Katsuta Shimazaki – Commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)

**Tsune Kondo **– widow

**Yuki Dayu** – Kyoto mistress (deceased)

**Toshizo Hijikata** – Vice commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)

* * *

**Part 4: _All I ask of You…_**

Aoshi opened the door to his room and headed towards the training room. On his way he saw Kuro and Shiro repairing shingles on the roof and stopped to offer his assistance. They cheerfully accepted so they could get done before dark. His ninja agility allowed him to climb up to the roof in an instant. He took the proffered hammer from Shiro.

"Hey Aoshi, I thought you were getting off at noon. Did you stop to talk to Saito?" Shiro asked, he sounded a bit worried. Aoshi nodded as he joined his crew and began working

"So what did he say? Is Leader gonna get in trouble for what happened yesterday at the base?" Kuro asked, he sounded just as worried. Aoshi looked up and shook his head

"No! Saito took care of everything…" Aoshi replied going back to his portion of the job then told them what happened at Saito's office, his meeting Col. Watts and what Saito made Col. Watts agree to so the foreigner could save face. The other two men laughed, they were glad Misao wouldn't endure any punishments and thoroughly relished the thought of Watts getting taken down a couple of pegs by their little Okashira.

To his surprise, Aoshi found himself laughing with them! It felt good to be able to connect to Kuro and Shiro. It felt good to have friends again, people he could relate to. It felt really good to not be feared by them and a warm sensation spread across his chest as he realized that he owed it all to Misao. It was staggering to think how hard she'd been working to reconnect him to the Oniwaban and how subtle she'd been.

'Perhaps I'm just losing my touch…' he thought feeling oddly amused by that thought. But it had been her idea to have Mrs. Kate teach him poker and it had been her idea to invite Kuro and Shiro to that training session. The three of them had been completely hooked on the game and they'd been making it an almost weekly ritual to play for almost two years.

They had tried to get Okina to play but the old goat was too old fashioned and preferred to play Go with his older friends. He would occasionally join but only when Mrs. Kate was in town and only at her request. But often he would invite her to his Go games and she would accept leaving the younger generation to their games.

Misao would always come to watch them play. She would come bearing snacks and she'd lay on her stomach with her chin resting on her hands cheerfully humming a little tune and cheering for the winner and with increasing regularity Okon and Omasu would show up to do the same and even join the game sometimes.

Okon could be quite the card shark! Aoshi had tried to talk Misao into playing but she constantly refused saying she was no good at bluffing. To remedy the situation Mrs. Kate had taught Misao a crazy little game called "Steal the old man's bundle" and at that game she was unbeatable! It's asif the word "steal" set off a whole range of abilities in her previously unknown to him. She was a very clever and unstoppable thief!

He looked forward to the weekly games and he was amazed on how such a simple thing had been the means by which he had regained the trust and companionship of the others. But that was just the way Misao did things, a small action with dramatic results. He didn't mind losing some of his small change occasionally to Okon and he liked seeing the sneaky smile on Misao's face when she was plotting to take your bundle. You could try to protect your cards but sooner or later she would take them!

Aoshi realized with a start that he often strove to win so that Misao would cheer for _him_. He shook the thought away. He wasn't going to follow that line of reasoning; he made a promise to Lord Makimachi and he was going to keep it! Which brought again the matter of Shuhei to mind, shaking away his contentment.

"Does either of you know much about Mr. Tani?" he asked keeping his tone even and not looking up from where he was working. They just shrugged, to Aoshi's relief neither seemed to find the question out of place

"He's a nice guy! I think he's got a crush on our Leader though," Kuro replied non-chalantly thinking 'well at least Aoshi's finally noticed I just hope he's planning to do something about it!'

"You think so too, Shiro?" Aoshi asked trying to keep his tone bland and again the guys didn't seem to notice anything odd about his questions. He didn't like Kuro's answer…

"Oh yeah, definitely! Think about it, why would a guy as rich as he is always want to stay here? He's got enough money to keep a nice house both here in Kyoto and in Tokyo but instead he stays here and the first thing he does when he walks in is ask for Misao," Shiro responded simply as he thought 'boy it's about time he got a clue!'

"Do you know if she's noticed?" Aoshi asked calmly. His mind had suddenly become focused on his target. He was on a mission now: Eliminate Shuhei Kondo!

"Who Misao? No way! She's completely oblivious!" Kuro informed him sounding a bit amused. Outwardly, Aoshi's face remained impassive but inwardly he raged! It was just as he'd thought: hungry old wolf, innocent young lamb. His mind quickly began to formulate various plans for making this _Mr. Tani's_ last visit to the Aoiya, however most of them involved the use of his kodachi and he completely rejected them because they would cause Misao emotionalharm and he had promised Kenshin he would try not to kill needlessly.

"When it comes to that sort of thing Misao is completely innocent, she believes from the bottom of her heart that anyone who's nice to her just wants to be her friend!" Shiro explained shaking his head

"But come on Aoshi! We're guys! We know better right!" Kuro added with a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he thought: 'Alright! He's got his game face on! Ok now let's see what you're gonna do about it Aoshi!'

"True…" Aoshi replied in his usual neutral tone, though now it took all of his self-control to keep his rage in check. He was well aware of the games of cat and mouse men played with women but he had never indulged in such ridiculous pastimes. He had never seen either the purpose or the need for them. That Shuhei was involving Misao in such a situation was insulting and he had to put a stop to it before she noticed because it would cause a disruption upon her perfectly innocent and cheerful world.

"But you know he has been extremely polite and respectful and if he ever crosses the line…" Shiro laughed, "well, just ask Kaiba!" both men laughed then suddenly turned serious

"Speaking of Kaiba…man, I can't believe you went to kick his ass and didn't take us!" Kuro objected resentfully. Aoshi did a double take, 'how in the world did he know that!' he thought caught completely off guard, 'I was sure I'd lost whoever was following me…' he reasoned, 'there's only one possible explanation, Kaiba must've squealed,' he concluded

"Dude, it's not cool! We wanted to kick his ass too! Or at least watch you kick his ass! No fair!" Shiro sulked.

"Has anyone from the Kaiba family been here to bother anyone?" Aoshi asked icily already planning to make good on the promises he made Kaiba.

"Naw, heard Omasu talking about it, she was the one that followed 'ya!" Kuro replied, "but how I wish you'd taken us with you!" he moped but hoped Aoshi wouldn't ask him why she was talking about it. Aoshi nodded impressed by Omasu's skill, Hannya taught her well.

"Well, I apologize for not taking either of you but Okina did forbid both of you from going near the Kaiba estate, I assumed you wouldn't have been happy if I had just let the matter drop, would you?" Aoshi countered thinking fast. The truth was he had been so enraged that night that he couldn't sleep so he'd snuck out and took his revenge. It was comforting to know he would've had backup if he'd wanted it and that they wouldn't have asked him to explain anything.

"Well no," Shiro admitted grudgingly, "but next time you gotta let us in on the plan, ok!" he added sternly. Aoshi nodded solemnly

"Wish I'd been there! Whatever you did to Kaiba worked like a charm! Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since!" Kuro complimented. Aoshi smirked

"I broke his hands…" he replied calmly and the two men broke into hysterical laughter. Yeah, it felt good to connect with Shiro and Kuro; it was almost as good as having _them_ back. Curiously, he thought he could hear _their_ laughter too, Hannya's above all. He shook his head and he contentedly continued his work and decided to share some of the things he'd learned this afternoon while having lunch with the Shinsengumi.

They were both pleased that Misao had made such a big impression on the men of the Shinsengumi. They were extremely pleased by Saito's compliments and grateful of his efforts to protect their leader. They laughed at the comparisons between Okita and Misao and they agreed with Aoshi's opinion that Hannya would've most definitely aided and abetted any number of pranks instigated by them. The three were having such a good time that their work was finished quickly.

The roof work had been just the medicine he needed to clear his mind. He determined he wouldn't need to go to the training hall anymore and decided to just wash up, change and wait for Misao to return from Sakura's place.

'Maybe I'll work on that new language Mrs. Kate and I started on,' he thought deciding that he would check to see if his teacher would be up for a Portuguese lesson today. Aoshi listened to the guys chatter amicably as they headed towards the well when an irritatingly familiar voice piped up behind them. His jaw clenched tightly in anger for a second, he felt as though his private sanctuary had been violated.

'It's him! He's back!' he raged inwardly as he schooled his features back into their usual neutral expression then turned to meet him.

"Hey there! I was looking for you guys!" Shuhei greeted amicably and cheerfully approached the three men.

"Us?" Kuro asked sounding a little confused exchanging a puzzled glance with Shiro. Shuhei smiled as Aoshi looked on from behind Kuro and Shiro, his stoic façade firmly in place. Shuhei explained about the party that was still in progress at the Otafuku (Harada's Shop) and asked Kuro and Shiro if they would come and teach the others the game they taught Nagakura last night.

"Sure!" Shiro accepted cheerfully. Aoshi was not surprised by his response. Shiro and Kuro were always on the look out for new poker initiates. He had rather enjoyed that time when the two of them had thoroughly trounced Kenshin. For someone who was supposed to be an expert at reading opponents, Kenshin turned out to be a horrendous card player and an even worst gambler.

"Sounds like fun!" Kuro agreed smiling cheerfully 'Yeah! Fresh meat for the grinder!' he thought gleefully though he was sure he'll end up losing whatever he wins to Aoshi in their game next week

"Mr. Aoshi would you care to return as well and play a few hands with us?" Shiro invited cordially. Aoshi shook his head

"Thank you but no. I would prefer to remain until my Okashira returns," Aoshi replied neutrally. Shuhei frowned

"Ms. Misao isn't here?" he asked clearly disappointed

"Nope!" Shiro answered without elaborating sensing that Aoshi would get pissed off if he did, "anyway, we'll go change and get our stuff and we'll go with you!" he continued trying to veer the subject away from their little Okashira. Kuro nodded cheerfully and the two hurried off to find themselves a spot where they could spy on the two men

"Well, have a good game," Aoshi offered politely turning away and deciding to go to the training hall after all.

"Mr. Aoshi, wait please! May I have a minute of your time?" Shuhei asked solemnly, the shift in his demeanor made Aoshi think of Kenshin suddenly and put him on his guard. Aoshi turned back and with his arms across his chest he nodded.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot this afternoon Mr. Aoshi," Shuhei began diplomatically undisturbed by Aoshi's imposing figure and ice cold glares.

"You think so?" Aoshi countered sarcastically as he glared down at the shorter man, he was probably about Kenshin's height. He had to admit Shuhei's boldness despite the fact that his _pack_ wasn't here to back him up had him impressed. He would not be so easily intimidated, 'but perhaps I should expect no less of the son of Kondo,' he mused warily.

"We didn't mean any disrespect towards Ms. Misao, it's the furthest thing from my mind I assure you," Shuhei began grimly

"Then you shouldn't be discussing a woman's private affairs without her presence or consent," Aoshi retorted glaring at Shuhei the man stood his ground unflinchingly

"Agreed," he replied solemnly 'I don't scare that easy Mr. Aoshi! I withstood Commander Hijikata's scary glares I can take yours!' he thought wondering what his father would say in this situation. He would probably tell him to stand his ground and fight then cheer for him the whole way!

"You should know Mr. Shuhei that this applies especially to my Okashira, it is my duty to protect her," Aoshi replied icily starting to feel as though he had the upper hand.

"So I noticed," Shuhei agreed courteously, "and despite the fact that so far we've agreed you're still treating me like I'm a threat! If you're worried that I might harm Ms. Misao, don't be because that is not my intention," he explained seriously noticing that Aoshi was the only one in the Aoiya that referred to Misao as "_my_ Okashira". He made note of the fact that he was always emphasizing the word "my"!

"Then what is your intention, Mr. Shuhei?" Aoshi asked bluntly, using a considerable amount of effort to keep his tone bland though Shuhei still managed to read his anger

'Oh, so it's like that, eh?' Shuhei thought shrewdly, 'ok bluntly it is Mr. Aoshi! If you want Ms. Misao too then get in line!' he thought his heart hammering with excitement, Aoshi's anger meant he was finally getting closer.

"I'm sorry I suppose I never have made that clear, have I?" Shuhei began; "to earn Ms. Misao's affections!" he stated fiercely challenge clearly glowing in his eyes, glad to finally step out of the shadow that he'd been waiting in. It was finally time to act!

'So the wolf bears his fangs, huh?' Aoshi seethed "Well, I see but don't you think my Okashira is too far out of your age range Mr. Shuhei," Aoshi responded calmly though the argument sounded extremely weak to him as soon as it left his mouth.

Shuhei smirked triumphantly; he was prepared for that argument! Kuwajiro had been hung up on that excuse too and in the end he lost any chance he might have had with Ms. Kamiya to someone older even than him. After all the Battousai was two years older than both Shuhei and Kuwajiro! He wasn't going to make the same mistake.

"And yet _you_ find her mature enough to call her _Okashira_?" Shuhei countered craftily.

"I was Okashira much younger than her, I don't see how that is relevant to this situation!" Aoshi rejoined weakly and cursed himself for not being able to come up with a stronger counter point.

"Ok then let me put it this way: Would you rather see her with one of those lame-brained weaklings who strut about thinking that Ms. Misao is just some wild horse that needs to be tamed?" Shuhei challenged with a slight note of anger in his tone,

"Don't you think she deserves better than those fools who'll never be able to fully appreciate the wonderful person that she is!" Aoshi was struck speechless. He shook his head slightly, struggling to find something to counter Shuhei's perfect comeback with. Shuhei struck again quickly before Aoshi could recover.

"My father taught me that a person's age or background are not as important as what is in their heart! This afternoon when I told Ms. Misao who my father was she didn't even flinch! Do you know how rare that is?" he paused but not long enough to give Aoshi a chance to rejoin

"Most of the time when I tell someone who my father was they can't get away from me fast enough! But knowing who I am didn't change Ms. Misao's attitude towards me one bit!" He paused again for a moment to catch his breath but pounced again quickly, not wanting to give Aoshi any room to recover.

"She's never judged me by my background so how could I possibly judge her according to her age! To do so would be a terrible injustice towards her and it would be hypocrisy on my part! As I said before, Ms. Misao is a rare and beautiful person, if all that I achieve is to earn her respect and her friendship then it'll still be worth every effort I've made so far! I have no regrets," he stated firmly as he continued to pound Aoshi with the only weapon he possessed, the truth!

"You see for a man like me, a demon and a wolf, meeting someone as forgiving and accepting as her is a rare and precious gift. If I have even the smallest of chances I'm not going to let it pass me by!" he declared fervently

"So I give you my word that no harm will come to her, not from me or anyone around me!" Shuhei concluded his impassioned defense with a deep bow and politely excused himself to go change, leaving Aoshi alone with his thoughts. It took Aoshi a great deal of self-control to keep from reaching out and throttling Shuhei, he was a sore loser after all. He turned on his heel and stalked off towards the training hall.

…From the roof of the Aoiya Shiro and Kuro shook their heads. It's a sad day in the Oniwaban when a ninja loses a battle. For Kuro it was doubly so!

"Alright Kuro pay up!" Shiro declared ruefully. Betting on Aoshi wasn't a good bet yet and Shiro was the better gambler of the two.

"You know I really hate the fact that he's so stubborn!" Kuro replied as he pulled a couple of coins out of his pocket and handed them to Shiro.

"I hate to say it but I told you so! He's still in Denial-land and he's not coming back any time soon!" Shiro commented dryly as the two headed quickly back towards their rooms to change.

"Yeah!" Kuro sighed in exasperation and got up to follow Shiro, at least now they had a better idea of what part of Aoshi's hang up was perhaps he would mention it to Mrs. Kate she was always full of good advice. 'Yeah, he seems to listen to her! Yeah I'll tell her!' he decided as he entered his room…

* * *

As soon as Shuhei was out of Aoshi's sight he took off at a dead run. His heart thundered with an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time 'were you watching father?' he wondered.

Pissing off the ninja master may not have been a good idea but it still felt great! It felt the same as that day he'd won that duel against Kuwajiro while father, Commander Hijikata, Capt. Okita and Gen-san looked on. Kuwa had bullied him mercilessly from the minute he'd joined the Shinsengumi. He hated the fact that Shuhei was Kondo's heir and was such a weak swordsman in his opinion so finally fed up with it Shuhei challenged him to a sparring match, after that defeat Shuhei had earned Kuwajiro's respect and over the years they'd become such close friends that they were practically brothers.

'Capt. Okita and Gen-san would be bouncing off the walls!' he thought as he reached his room. He may not have been the greatest swordsman in the Shinsengumi but in a battle of sheer brainpower he could definitely hold his own against the best!

'Round one goes to me!' Shuhei declared savoring his first victory against his only real opponent in the battle to win Ms. Misao's heart. He quickly stripped out of his western trappings and put on a kimono Tsune had given him when father died. It had once belonged to his father before she and Isami were married; it was a little worn but still looked decent. He felt he needed a physical connection with his father right now so he could share with him his small victory…

* * *

Aoshi punched the training dummy and the thing shattered instantly!

"Damn it!" he cursed, that was the last training dummy left and he wasn't even close to releasing any of the anger bottled inside him looking for an outlet. He cleared the remains of the device, took a deep breath and tried another approach

'I'll just practice my kata for now and wait until morning then I can go spar with the old Mitsurugi master!' he told himself, Seiguro Hiko didn't mind having him over as long as he brought sake so Aoshi made it a point to spar with him at least once a month. He knew that his current state of mind required more than a few punching dummies and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu had always been a good way to clear his mind and reset his priorities.

He tried to concentrate on the simple motions of kata but the familiar movements that should've been fluid and relaxing came jerkily and awkward. Time and time again he found himself starting over and it made him feel even more frustrated. In his distracted state of mind he completely missed Mrs. Kate's arrival

"You're doing it wrong," her soft melodious foreign accent did not register with him until it was too late. His already battle tensed reflexes lashed out before he could realize whom it was that the voice belonged to. His leg kicked out full-force on a simple roundhouse kick, she easily ducked out of the way. Her palm connected with his shin and pushed it hard using his own powerful momentum to knock him slightly out of balance. He managed to stay on his feet and by the time he turned to apologize and see if she was hurt, she was already gracefully seated with her back against the wall

"Come, sit next to me child," she invited gently smiling patiently at him and waving away his apologies. Contritely, he sat and listened to the old woman speak as she explained that some aspects of martial arts were like dancing so having been a successful dancer in her youth and having seen him practice this routine often she could easily tell what he was doing wrong.

"So tell me child, what is it that keeps you from opening up to Misao?" she asked gently

"What do you mean?" Aoshi asked attempting to feign ignorance

"I mean, why do you keep denying how you feel about her? You only hurt yourself with that attitude," she pressed on

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied a bit defensively but he had a feeling he knew where she was going with this. He decided he'd just leave and began to excuse himself

"Oh no you don't!" she ordered him, her old and wrinkled hand wrapped itself tightly about his wrist, "if you'll not talk to her then you'll have to listen to me!" she scolded, he knew he could easily break out of her grip but it would cause the old woman physical harm and besides it would be cowardly of him to run from her. He sat back down again

"If you're excuse is you're age difference then it's a very weak one! And young Shuhei had absolutely no problems in knocking that excuse down!" she scorned

"No it isn't that…" he began weakly not bothering to hide it anymore obviously she'd somehow seen right through him, "Wait, How do _you_ know how I feel?" he asked hoping he hadn't been obvious about it

"I wasn't sure at first, it wasn't until we went to America that I confirmed it," she began then explained how she'd noticed the way he had spoken about Misao to little Amelia at Rock Creek and how he was looking at her when she tried on the dress he gave her and that yes, she did notice that he almost kissed her that day too. She had stopped him on purpose then covered for him because he was still heavily in denial and it would've caused Misao a great deal of emotional harm if he'd carried out his action and then tried to backtrack.

"Thank you for that, I don't want to hurt her," he replied penitently feeling the familiar sting of shame and guilt assaulting him again.

"So it's guilt then, perhaps you're thinking that she should be with someone with less of a bloody past?" she asked a touch of sarcasm in her voice. He nodded simply and she blew out her breath in exasperation

"Well child! That excuse is also a weak one and young Shuhei knocked that down quite easily I must say!" she reprimanded noticing how his jaw tightened at the mention of his name, "quite an eloquent, well-mannered and all around charming young man, I hear his father was like that too," she added in an attempt to goad him and was rewarded with a soft jealous growl from Aoshi.

"She should be with someone more suitable than me that's all," Aoshi replied weakly not daring to look the woman in the eye.

"I see, then Shuhei would be a pretty good candidate, wouldn't he?" she replied innocently trying to provoke him

"No he wouldn't!" he snapped. In a whirl of angry motion she was on her feet and towering over him with her fists on her hips.

"Oh! So you think you know best?" she snapped back angrily, it surprised him! Aoshi had never seen her angry before she had always seemed a never ending fountain of patience and good will

"Let me give you a little reality check you selfish brat!" she began, her irritation climbing exponentially

"To half the eligible men in this city Misao is a hero, she is strong and virtuous definitely someone to emulate but to those young men she is _one of the boys_ and to the other half she is nothing more than a trophy! A prize that only the strongest one of them will be able to display! So they crawl out of woodworks and throw themselves at her caring not at all about how she feels or what she wants! Is that what you think she deserves!" she practically yelled at him pointing an accusing finger at him.

"And how convenient for you that she's decided to not marry! You get to keep her to yourself and not have to make any commitments!" she pounced angrily again before he could find his voice

"She has learned to live with this and many other injustices, content to work hard for the meager scraps of affection you throw her way!" she scolded and Aoshi just shook his head lamely not knowing what to say, "her sole motivation is to earn your respect and make sure your life is happy and peaceful! I have been patient until now but my patience has run out!" she paced angrily for a moment trying to gather her thoughts

"Did you know that it wasn't until this morning that Misao was given access to the historical records of the Oniwaban?" she asked him suddenly changing tracks

"What?" Aoshi exclaimed, he was shocked to hear this, he had simply assumed that Misao had chosen not to go through those records to avoid the bias of history and create her own style of leadership and he believed it worked well for her, especially in this Meiji era.

"Apparently it wasn't until yesterday that she finally demonstrated that she was fit for the position! Not that it matters, Misao broke into those archives years ago, she is very adept at fending for herself!" she continued glaring down at him. Aoshi didn't look up, guilt and shame threatened to overwhelm him. He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them and with his forehead hitting against his knees repeatedly he reproached himself for not noticing!

'But you did notice…' said a disappointed voice in his head that sounded a lot like Hannya. Hannya had always been his voice of reason whenever he got carried away. Yeah, he had noticed he'd just chosen to ignore it. He would just ignore it when Omasu and Okon tuned her out when she was talking; he'd ignored Okina not consulting her opinion on issues that concerned everyone in the Aoiya, he'd ignored Kuro and Shiro always treating her like a little girl and she had long ceased to be one! Yeah, he'd noticed hpw much she'd grown but of course, he'd chosen to ignore that too. He looked up suddenly as a new thought occurred to him.

"Wait, that means Misao knows what happened to her father!" he thought suddenly horrified. One of the reasons he'd avoided talking about the records was because he wanted to spare Misao the pain of knowing who killed her father.

"Yes, she does!" the old woman replied a touch of pride in her voice, "and I'm exceedingly proud of how she handled that knowledge! You should know it was her decision _not_ to tell Kenshin! She believes he has enough guilt to carry without adding her orphaned state to it!" she explained but as she looked down at Aoshi's penitent form her heart softened. She sat in front of him.

"Aoshi, she wants everyone around her to be happy because it makes her happy and she will go to almost any length! In Kenshin's case she's grateful that he sent you back to her at such great risk to himself and his mission, to her that's more than enough atonement and she can't bring herself to hate him for killing someone she never knew, it's just not in her nature," she continued but her voice had lost the harshness of anger

"And with you she thinks you need her help so much that she puts aside all her own needs for yours!" she explained with a touch of sadness in her voice

"But I'm tired of seeing her devote all her time and effort to make others happy when nobody ever bothers to ask _her_ what will make _her_ happy! I'm tired of coming here year after year and nothing ever changes for her," she added in a soft and weary tone "I'm sick of watching her lie to herself day after day and then listen to her cry in her sleep!"

"So I'll ask you this: Will you let go of your stubborn pride and reach out to her as she's been trying to reach for you?" she asked him as her hand reached for his chin and pulled his face up to look him in the eye

"I…just want her…to be happy…" he answered hesitantly looking a bit helpless and confused "it's too late, what can I do now?" he asked, she smiled patiently again

"Aoshi, the only place you can find an answer is in you're heart and it's not too late child!" she stood up again and looked out the window.

"It looks like it'll be dark soon, Misao's going to walk home alone in the dark again, I know it!" she grumbled frustrated

"No she won't!" he replied as he stood up and hurried towards the exit, he stopped at the door as she called him

"Aoshi, remember: only Misao knows what will make Misao happy, you're arrogant if you think you know better!" Mrs. Kate scolded "Hurry up now! Don't make her wait any longer!" she admonished.

"Thank you Kate-Sensei," he replied solemnly and bowed towards her. She smiled in a motherly way and shooed him away, he raced out to his room to grab his trench coat and headed out towards the Haruno's place at best possible speed.

"Well, I hope that did the trick!" she said to the now empty room, she giggled mischievously glad that she'd made Misao promise to remain at the Haruno's until someone came to pick her up. 'I just hope Sakura-chan kept her end of the bargain!' she thought. She couldn't help feeling bad for Shuhei though she really did like him and he'd been more helpful then he could possibly imagine! Slowly, she made her way back to her room to get her journal…

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Misao sighed tiredly finally the party seemed to be winding down. She figured it was a good thing she was staying at least she could help clean up, knowing Kuro and Shiro they'll probably forget that one of them is supposed to come until Mrs. Kate or Gramps yells at them to get going. She wished she had brought her shinobi outfit and asked herself for the millionth time that afternoon why she let Sakura doll her up in this "way-too-pretty-for-me" kimono. She had been extra careful not to ruin Okon's new kimono but the extra effort was making her a little tired and stressed out.

'I'll have plenty of time to help Sakura and Saya clean up at least,' she thought. What she really wanted was to get home and ask Lord Aoshi about the Shinsengumi. She really wished Mrs. Kate hadn't made her promise to stay it would be faster if she just went by herself. She could be home in no time at all! She sighed tiredly again Sakura's older brother Sutesuke and his best friend Kamo had just shown up and were already pretty drunk. They leaned against the window, draining bottle after bottle making fun of or scaring anyone who passed by on the street.

Those two were one of the reasons she didn't drink. They were always getting wasted and ended up doing stupid, nasty stuff that they couldn't remember the next day. More than once she had seen Sutesuke in the throes of a painful hangover and yet he just kept on doing it! Their behavior made drinking totally unappealing! Besides, Lord Aoshi disapproved of drinking so she never did it! She couldn't understand why as strict as Sakura's father was with her he just allowed him to be such a wastrel! It was so unfair, Sakura was way smarter than her brother but because she was a woman her father wouldn't let her help in the family business.

'She's got tons of good ideas to make the factory grow! It's just not fair!' she thought as she watched Sutesuke and Kamo make fools of themselves with open disdain. Sakura's mute cousin Saya got up and began picking up some of the empty dishes, immediately Naruto got up and followed suit. Sutesuke looked up

"Hey you! Since you're going to the kitchen bring back some more sake!" he slurred drunkenly as he drained another bottle of sake and tossed it in her and Naruto's direction. Saya frowned and looked up at Naruto who glared back at Sutesuke and kicked the empty bottle back at him.

"Get it your own damn self!" Naruto yelled back at him in disgust then turned and guided Saya out of the room. Misao decided that it was time to end this party before the two drunks ruined their good times. She glanced over at Sakura and she could tell that she was starting to get nervous and embarrassed but like a proper little sister she wouldn't dare scold her older brother in front of non-family members.

"Alright, I guess we should start cleaning up!" Misao suggested cheerfully and got up to pick up the empty trays and sake bottles Sutesuke and Kamo had already littered all over the room. The two men groaned unhappily

"The Okashira has spoken! All must now bow to her wishes!" Kamo intoned sarcastically then the two men laughed cynically. Misao just rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, she was used to guys making jokes like that. It used to bother her but not any more, especially now since Lord Aoshi told her he was proud of her. Today, not even guys like Sutesuke and Kamo could bother her!

"Shut up you worthless drunks!" Sasuke sneered "if the Okashira really gets mad you'll be lucky to get out of it in one piece, morons!" Sasuke mocked. Annoyed, Sutesuke hurled a bowl full of rice at him that Sasuke easily dodged. Sakura gasped in shock and got up quickly to kneel in front of her brother

"Brother please…why don't you continue you're party at Kamo's? You can take the rest of the sake!" she suggested diplomatically, the nervous pleading tone in her voice made Misao angry. She hated that her friend had to curry favor with her wastrel of a brother or her father would reprimand her if she didn't. She would find a way for her friend to be free somehow!

"Shut up you! We'll leave when we're damned good and ready!" he ordered her annoyed and knocked overhis tray with his foot spilling the remains of his miso soup all over the floor and Sakura barely managed to shuffle out of the way to avoid getting the soup all over her kimono. That was about as much as Sasuke would take, he shot up ready to pound Sutesuke and Kamo into a bloody pulp but Misao shot up too and put a hand on his chest

"No Sasuke! If you fight with him you know Sakura's gonna pay!" Misao reasoned coolly. Sasuke backed off, every time he'd beaten her brother up it was Sakura who ended up enduring the long punishments for not controlling her "violent" friends. Misao winked at him conspiratorially silently letting Sasuke know that she would take care of it, on the other hand when Misao was the one to beat them up they didn't dare complain for fear of damaging their _manly_ reputations! He knew though that if he stayed he _would_ end up fighting regardless.

"I'll be back later, after the _trash_ has been taken out," Sasuke replied coolly directing his comment to the two drunks. Misao just giggled amused, Sakura bowed her head not daring to look up. At this point she was much too embarrassed by her brother's behavior to look up and her friends cared about her so much that they'd forbidden her to apologize on his behalf.

"Say that to my face tough guy!" Kamo goaded then laughed drunkenly. Sasuke leaned closer to them

"_Worthless Trash!_" he repeated sarcastically. Kamo hurled an empty sake bottle at him but both Misao and Sasuke easily ducked out of the way. Sasuke laughed derisively and walked out. Misao pulled Sakura to her feet she looked like she was about to cry but was doing a fair job of holding back. Misao handed her several empty trays and sent her to help with the dishes. Saya returned then with a couple of buckets with water and several clean rags. She blew out an exasperated breath and tied her sleeves back with the string Saya offered her and took one of the buckets.

'What do women see in them anyway?' she wondered as she glared at the two drunk men sprawled on the other side of the room and began mopping the spilled soup. Sure they're both rich and handsome but they were extremely useless! All they did was drink, gamble and chase girls around. Kamo drunkenly got up and announced he was going to the bathroom. He made a nasty comment to Saya asking her if she wanted to come and "help" him. Saya merely ignored him and as he stumbled towards her Misao's foot shot out with lightning speed to trip him and was gone before either drunk could tell what happened

"Oh! Watch where you're going there, Kamo!" Misao called out innocently as Kamo slammed face down on the ground; even Sutesuke laughed thinking his friend was just so blitzed he had tripped over his own feet. Kamo managed to get back on his feet and grumbled unhappily as he stumbled out of the room. Misao rolled her eyes and shook her head amazed at how useless and pathetic they were.

'Not at all like Lord Aoshi!' she thought allowing herself a little bit of girly daydreaming. She marveled at how smart he was and how quickly he'd learned Italian, German, and Spanish, it didn't surprise her at all that he already knew English and French as well as several other languages. She was so proud of him

'Now look at him! In almost no time at all he went from lowly correspondence translator to traveling the world as the minister's most trusted and efficient translator!' she sighed happily thinking about the interesting places he must've been to and all the strange and wonderful things he must've seen. Her blissful daydreaming was rudely interrupted by a blast of hot sake-heavy breath near her face her nose wrinkled in absolute disgust

"What are you thinkin'…" Sutesuke slurred in an attempt to sound seductive

WHAM! Misao's fist slammed into Sutesuke's face and he fell backwards clutching his jaw and moaning in pain. His eyes glazed over and he looked about to pass out.

"None of your business, moron!" she yelled at him and rolled her eyes for the millionth time since he'd crashed their happy party, Saya giggled in amusement of Sutesuke and Kamo's plight and Misao joined her briefly. She squeezed the rag she was mopping soup with and went back to her happy little daydreaming. She allowed herself to imagine Lord Aoshi in a uniform like Col. Watts' and sighed thinking how amazing he would look in it!

'Yeah! He'd look way better than Gun-up-his-butt Watts!' she thought happily allowing herself the rare luxury of being lost in girly daydreams even going so far as plotting to steal Watts' blue and gold uniform from him. He was about the same height and build as Lord Aoshi after all! Lost as she was in this daydreaming, she hardly noticed Sutesuke shuffle drunkenly to his feet. He lurched forward and slipped on the wet floor landing right smack on top of Misao.

"SUTESUKE YOU JERK! GET OFF ME NOW!" she yelled at him though she was angrier with herself for getting caught off guard. His eyes rolled back into his head, he looked completely out of it so Misao decided to cut him a little slack and give him fair warning. Besides if she beat him up in his current condition first: it wouldn't be very honorable considering the severe mental and physical disadvantagehe was in and second: she'd probably kill him! Again she yelled at him to get off or she'd be forced to hurt him. His eyes finally came back into focus and he smiled as he realized where he was.

"Why? I like it here!" he replied attempting again to sound seductive. She rolled her eyes again 'Oh boy here we go again! Don't guys ever learn?' Kamo returned then and leered as he saw the position Misao and Sutesuke were in and went to sit by the window again so he could watch the show.

Misao rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and calculated how much cash these guys were carrying. This little transgression was gonna be painful both on their wallets and their bodies she decided. Her arms were pinned at the wrists by Sutesuke's full weight on his hands but it's not like she hadn't been in similar situations before. She was a master escape artist and after she got up she would lay a world of hurt on these two!

"Relax!Who are you saving yourself for? That cold-hearted bastard Aoshi! Come on that old fart doesn't have what it takes to satisfy a pretty young thing like you!" Sutesuke laughed and Kamo laughed along with him. White-hot anger burned in Misao 'Nobody but nobody insults Lord Aoshi!' she declared

"THAT'S IT YOUR DEAD!" she yelled…

* * *

And that's it for this chapter… TAN, TAN, TAAAAAN!

What will happen to Misao? Will Aoshi make it in time? And where did Saya go? Tune in next time! Same bat-time! Same bat-channel! Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!

**Autumndays:** I'm so glad you're enjoying this! No, I didn't know that about ninjas I merely went with the assumption that if he was made leader at the tender age of fifteen then he must be a genius both mentally and physically and would have no trouble learning a few languages in a short amount of time. Plus, I figured since military leaders in general are picked in that manner I merely thought it was no different with ninjas. I'm glad to know I was right! I'm also glad you didn't find him out of character especially when he was having that little hissy fit in his room! I hope you like this installment. I felt bad that I had to be so rough on Aoshi in this chapter but sometimes broody, ultra serious boys like him don't learn unless you give him a few good whacks on the head!

**Mandella-sama:** I totally agree! Aoshi needs to get his weasel-girl before the wolf gets a chance to run off with her! I see what you mean about the word "wolf" evoking thoughts of Saito but I hope this chapter clears things up a bit!

Keep reading and reviewing! Let me know what you think and where I could improve!


	5. Killing me softly

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi or Star Trek Voyager…

The story Misao refers to here is a short story by Nobuhiro Watsuki called "Crescent Moon in the Warring States" published with volume number 6 of the manga and it is a completely separate story that has no direct connection to the Kenshin story arcs and it is my favorite side story ever! Check out volume six if you can or email me for more details!

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**Part 5: _Killing me softly…_**

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Aoshi hurried through the maze-like streets of Kyoto taking the shortest route possible to the Haruno's house. Kate-sensei's words resonated in his head.

"_Only Misao knows what will make Misao happy…_" she had admonished and now here he was racing towards her and he still didn't know what to say her. What could he say to someone he's taken for granted for so long? Someone whom he'd abandoned more than once? How much worse had his presence in the Aoiya made things for her? Far worse in fact, because he had completely ignored how much she needed him and ignored her pain. He had left her to suffer all those "injustices" on her own!

"_Will you abandon your pride…_" a pang of guilt stabbed his heart as he recalled Kate-sensei's words and hadn't Kenshin uttered the same words to him in Shishio's mountain fortress? He had returned with the intention of honoring the sacrifice that Kenshin had made in that duel and to provide Misao with the protection and guidance that she needed, but instead he had wallowed in guilt and self-pity, greedily accepting the selfless love and care that she had offered him, giving almost nothing of himself in return.

'But what can I do?' he asked himself starting to feel more than a little frustrated. He had made a promise this afternoon to her grandfather and now he realized that to fulfill that promise he would have to continue to ignore her lonely pain and perhaps eventually lose her to Shuhei or someone like him. That thought was so horrifying he shook it away and tried to concentrate on what he was going to say, but his resolve began to waver as he recalled the promise he'd made earlier that afternoon at the shrine. Lord Makimachi's respect and admiration had meant everything to him so could he really go back on that promise now? If not, what could he say to Misao then? Should he apologize? Should he thank her? Would she accept either? Would it be enough?

'Yes she will and no, it won't be enough at least not to me…' he realized remorsefully, she'll probably tell him he needn't do either, that she does everything because she likes to. She's probably convinced herself that it's somehow her duty to look after him because she's the last of the old Edo group. He sighed and pushed himself to greater speed. Kate-sensei was right, things had to change!

'I'm sorry Lord Makimachi but you're dead and she's alive, I'll protect her happiness the way _she_ wants me to! I'll do whatever it takes!' he decided fervently. Suddenly he heard Lord Makimachi's cheerful laughter. He stopped and looked around; he could've sworn he'd heard it as clearly as if he'd been running right along side him. He shook his head slightly and continued racing towards his destination. The smiling image of Lord Makimachi appeared clearly in his mind. He'd always laughed cheerfully when Aoshi performed a particularly difficult task or fulfilled a tricky assignment

'_Well done Aoshi!_' he would declare cheerfully and ruffle his hair and because he wanted that praise and acceptance so badly Aoshi had always strived to perform above and beyond what was expected of him. Though he'd never really shown it on the outside he had lived to hear his mentor laugh and utter those words. He realized that it was much the same with her. He yearned for her acceptance and forgiveness. He lived to hear her laughter and her voice. He smiled…

'It's been a while Master, I'm sorry I took so long to figure it out, I promise I'll do better from now on!' he pledged and again he heard that cheerful laughter but even more clearly this time. He rounded a corner and slowed down to a brisk walk. Sasuke was walking down the street and he had a worried look on his face. He kept glancing behind him at Sakura's house and he was so distracted that he didn't see Aoshi coming.

"Good evening Sasuke," he called out in greeting, Sasuke turned clearly surprised to see Aoshi

"Good Evening Lord Aoshi," Sasuke replied but didn't notice Aoshi flinch at the use of the honorific. It seemed strange, up until this morning the title hadn't bothered him, so why did it bother him now? Misao had always called him that and her closest friends had simply picked up on it. He surmised that it was because it distanced him from Misao and he no longer wished to remain distanced from her life.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" Aoshi asked as he approached. Sasuke just shook his head it seemed he was trying to decide whether to go back to Sakura's house with Aoshi or not. Aoshi stopped for a moment to allow him time to decide. Finally Sasuke joined him

"It's just that Sakura's brother and his friend Kamo crashed our party…" he began as the two walked back towards the house. Sasuke explained that the two men were very drunk and were trying to pick a fight with them but if Sasuke had responded Sakura would've had to deal with the consequences so instead he'd walked away.

This came as no surprise to Aoshi. Misao had complained once about what an awful person Sutesuke turned into when he was drunk and how unfairly strict Sakura's father was on her. He recalled advising her that whatever hardships her friend faced would only make her stronger and that her moral support would show faith in her friend's abilities to conquer her adversities giving Sakura the strength to press on.

He smiled as he recalled how excited she'd been with that simple piece of advice and told him she couldn't wait to share it with Sakura. That was the last time they had gone on one of their trips to the cemetery together before he went to America. They'd gone to the cemetery after he returned from America but they hadn't stayed long because he was "sick" and still recovering from his long trip so she had insisted on going right back to the Aoiya so he could rest. She had practically stuffed him full of tea and would still be fussing over him if it hadn't been for Kate-sensei telling her to back off. He smiled…

"Sasuke, have faith in Sakura. Misao doesn't befriend people who are weak, be patient," Aoshi began remembering that Misao had once told him that Sasuke only took seriously those who showed physical strength

"Strength doesn't just come from fists and weapons, Sakura will find her own strength and overcome her problems soon enough," Aoshi reassured. Sasuke smiled and nodded he finally understood why it was Misao idolized him he didn't say much but when he spoke it was to say something meaningful.

"I understand," Sasuke replied. So the two walked back towards the house together and Aoshi asked him what he thought about what happened yesterday at the base.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told her, the only thing she injured was my pride and let me tell you I needed it!" he chuckled

"Oh? How so?" Aoshi asked curious of Sasuke's reaction. Sasuke shrugged

"I'm guilty of what everyone else is, I underestimated her just because of the way she looks and acts," he explained then he smiled, "but I swear I'll never do it again!" he declared and Aoshi was pleased to hear the slight note of challenge in his voice it showed his respect and admiration for Misao's abilities. However, he would make sure to become more involved in her martial arts training so she could always stay ahead of all those who would challenge her strength.

"You know, we better hurry Sutesuke and Kamo are highly blitzed and if they pick a fight with Misao, they're dead," Sasuke said sounding a bit worried and began walking faster

"I'm sure Misao will be able to prevent any unpleasant confrontations," Aoshi countered but he lengthened his stride to keep up with Sasuke

"Yeah well... normally that's true and she does cut Sutesuke a lot of slack for Sakura's sake but if he does something stupid like say something nasty about you or the Aoiya…" he hesitated, his boyish face seemed even more troubled

"Explain?" Aoshi asked not liking this turn in the conversation

"Well, you see when Sutesuke gets really drunk he starts making fun of everyone and everything and whenever anybody says anything bad about you or the Aoiya Misao totally loses it!" Sasuke clarified as he sped up towards the house.

Aoshi frowned at first he couldn't understand why anybody would say anything bad about the Aoiya but bad things to say about him he could understand. Then he realized Kate-sensei had said half the men in this town thought of her as a "trophy" perhaps when they realized that she was not so easily "won" their injured pride would force them to lash out at her in whatever immature ways occurred to them first.

'Of course Misao's nature would not allow an evil comment about someone - or something - she cared about to pass lightly!' he thought as the two men entered the gate of the Haruno's place. He was about to question Sasuke further but stopped as they heard screaming

"SUTESUKE THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! GET OFF OR I'LL KICK YOU SO HARD YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SIT FOR WEEKS!" the unmistakable sound of Misao's angry voice reached them all the way out to the front gate. From across the courtyard they could clearly see into the large room where the party had been held and the current sight froze him in his tracks. There was a man lying on top of Misao pinning her wrists down to the ground with his hands he laughed and said something that Aoshi couldn't hear. Misao's face suddenly transformed from mild annoyance and disgust to complete rage.

"THAT'S IT YOUR DEAD!" she yelled and Aoshi couldn't agree more as he launched himself forward…

* * *

Misao slipped her wrists out easily from Sutesuke's hold causing him to lose his balance but before she could roll out of the way or even begin her counter attack Sutesuke suddenly flew off of her and crashed into the opposite side of the wall. His body landed in a heap and didn't move again. She gasped in shock when she realized who had hit Sutesuke. Aoshi was kneeling next to her his eyes now fixed on Kamo, they glowed with an eerie light that she'd seen once before on the day he almost killed Okina. She sat up quickly and put herself between him and Kamo

"No please Lord Aoshi! He's not worth it!" Misao pleaded her anger instantly transforming to fear 'if I lose him now I won't be able to get him back!' she thought panicking. Kenshin had been the only person capable of reaching Lord Aoshi in his demonic state but his Hiten mitsurugi was no longer strong enough to tame the demon Lord Aoshi had kept on a tight leash since their last fight. If it were to be released now Lord Aoshi would be lost to her forever

"Please Lord Aoshi!" she begged pressing her palms against his chest. The dangerous glow of his eyes dimmed somewhat at the sight of the fear in her eyes. The pleading tone in her voice made him back off slightly. Sasuke entered then and was about to ask Misao if she was alright but Kamo interrupted

"Why the hell d'ya stop the show?" Kamo slurred drunkenly obviously unaware of the immense peril he was in. Aoshi's eyes lit dangerously again and Misao resumed her fearful pleading.

"Kamo, you idiot for once in your pathetic existence keep your mouth shut!" Sasuke yelled at him but Kamo was so drunk he was oblivious of Sasuke's attempt to save his life. He cursed at Sasuke and shuffled to his knees intent on reaching that last bottle of sake that obviously Sutesuke wouldn't be drinking. Unfortunately, Aoshi interpreted his movement as the beginning of an attack and attempted to launch himself forward to counter. To his amazement he found himself physically anchored to his spot.

"Please Lord Aoshi he's not worth it!" Misao yelled desperately into his chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his chest and her knees were firmly anchored to the floor, every once of her strength was put into the task of keeping him from moving. The surprise of being immobilized by Misao distracted him from his target for a moment and Sasuke took that opportunity to move quickly around the two and pound Kamo into unconsciousness, effectively saving his life.

The fear and desperation in Misao's voice finally snapped Aoshi back into reality. The old demon that had stirred awake for a moment shrunk back into slumber and he immediately ceased his attempt to break from her hold. He eased back onto his knees his arm wrapped around Misao's now shivering body and he pulled her toward him.

"I'm sorry, are you all right?" he asked softly, inwardly he cursed himself for his lack of control. His other arm came around and began stroking her back gently and she stopped shivering then pulled back and smiled up at him

"Yes Lord Aoshi I'm fine," she replied relieved. Naruto asked her the same question as he rushed into the room she gave him the same answer she'd given Aoshi but with great enthusiasm. Aoshi frowned he didn't like it when she hid her feelings behind a mask of false cheer. He realized guiltily that in the past year the difference between false and real cheer had become extremely difficult to see.

"What happened?" he demanded as he immediately made his way towards Sasuke. At the first sign of trouble Saya had left the room to alert Naruto that things were starting to go bad, he ran back to the room as soon as he heard Misao screaming. Sasuke beckoned him to help pull the unconscious men out of the room promising to explain what happened on the way back to Sutesuke's room. They each grabbed one man by the legs and dragged him out of the room making the extra effort to turn them into human mops and absorb the sake and miso soup that was still on the floor with their clothes. They laughed at their mischief as they made their way out into the hall exchanging colorful remarks about Sutesuke's character and his poor taste in friends.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Aoshi asked watching Misao carefully she was wiping her face furiously with the sleeve of her kimono. It was a habit she'd picked up around her seventeenth birthday. He lost count of how many times a day she washed her face and occasionally she would come back from an errand and she would be scrubbing furiously at her face. He'd never thought anything of it but now he wondered if there isn't a deeper reason behind it. His conversation with Kate-sensei was making him re-think everything he thought he knew about her. She stopped and looked up

"Oh, yeah!" she began cheerfully, "no problem! I'm good Lord Aoshi!" she replied looking as happy as she usually did but his instincts told him that she was hiding something. Sakura and Saya finally showed up, Sakura continued in the direction Naruto and Sasuke had gone. Saya stayed behind and went to sit next to Misao. Her hands began to move in the intricate gestures of the sign language Mrs. Kate had taught her and her friends. Misao turned to Aoshi to interpret Saya's question but he held up his hand to stop her

"I know, she asked if we're all right," he replied, they stared at him in astonishment. On the day he sailed to America, Misao's friends had shown up at the dock to say goodbye and he had been embarrassed that he could not understand what Saya was saying so once they had set sail he had asked Kate-sensei to teach him. Misao smiled but again Aoshi noticed that something about that smile seemed wrong.

"Kate-sensei taught me," he explained briefly again Misao smiled cheerfully and gushed about how amazing his ability to learn so many languages was. He took her hand

"We should leave," he said softly cutting off her exposition, usually he loved to hear her lavish praise but today it made him feel like a hypocrite. She looked confused for a moment as he gently pulled her up, this was the first time he'd actually cut her off but then she smiled again.

"Of course, just give me a second ok!" he released her hand and she rushed off with Saya calling back to him that she'd meet him by the gate. He made his way back to the front gate trying to quell the feelings of frustration and anger burning inside him…

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Misao rushed through the house in a hurry to get to the well. Her hands shook as she hurried to fill the bucket she relaxed slightly as the cold water splashed against her skin. She splashed her face again and again and scrubbed furiously at her cheeks.

"Damn it!" she cursed, "after all my hard work!" she despaired. This morning she had finally achieved what her heart desired most, she had made him smile! He had smiled because he was proud of her. He was proud of her strength

"Damn it!" she cursed again, "he should have found me with his face under my foot! Damn it!" she cursed once more feeling at the brink of tears, anger raging inside of her. The last thing she ever wanted was for him to see her in a position of weakness. Viciously, she pulled off the ribbon on her hair and she would've thrown it on the ground but remembered that it wasn't hers (it was Sakura's) and squeezed it tight before setting it gently on the edge of the well. She shook her head fiercely and swore to herself she wouldn't cry at least not here and not now.

"I'm all right," she assured her friend as she felt Saya's hand touch her shoulder gently. She turned and gave Saya a weak smile but she didn't return it. She envied Saya, beautiful, sweet but shy her problems would soon be over. As soon as Naruto graduated from the special training they would reveal to Sakura and the others their secret love and would marry. She'd never have to deal with Sutesuke and his drunken harassment ever again. Naruto had long since gotten over his childhood crush for Sakura but continued to pretend because the last time anyone had suspected Saya of having a boyfriend Sutesuke had been particularly vicious with his harassment.

Saya and Naruto thought nobody knew but she wasn't a ninja for nothing and she was proud of the fact that she had been able to secretly help them to keep everyone from finding out! (She hasn't even told Lord Aoshi or Mrs. Kate!) Being away in training Naruto wasn't able to protect Saya but soon they'd be together and she knew Naruto would make sure Sutesuke paid ten-fold the hardships he visited on his future wife. Again Misao smiled she really was happy for Saya and Naruto!

She took the towel that Saya was offering her and dried her face. She had to face Lord Aoshi so she forced herself to put her anger and tears aside. It was damage control time and she would just have to dig deep and pull out every reserve of strength, there had to be a way to fix things! It occurred to her that she'd consult with Mrs. Kate. She was always full of good advice and best of all she never judged her. She could always express her true feelings to her and never fear that her concerns would be put down as unimportant or childish. She took a deep breath and drawing strength from the promise of being able to pour her heart out later to Mrs. Kate she turned around to face the world again.

"Misao, he's waiting," said Sakura softly as she joined Saya and Misao at the well. Misao smiled at her but Sakura did not return it

"I know! Don't worry! I'll fix everything!" Misao declared trying to sound cheerful and confident but neither one of her friends returned her smile. Sakura stepped closer.

"You took off the makeup," Sakura whispered sadly

"Yeah! Makeup just doesn't suit me you know! Okon's gonna have a fit when she sees what happened to her kimono though," she replied examining the sleeve with the remains of her lipstick and rogue on it

"Oh well, she shouldn't have let me wear it!" she shrugged then laughed cheerfully, neither of her friends joined in. They both knew her well enough to know that she was putting on an act. Misao frowned she hated worrying her friends

"Ok you guys, stop it! Stuff like this happens to me all the time! I can deal with it! Now stop worrying!" she ordered sternly with her hands on her hips she gave her friends a serious look. Saya just looked at Sakura

"But I wanted him to see how beautiful you looked today…I thought if he saw you like that he'd start falling in love with you," Sakura whispered, sorrow putting a catch in her voice

"Sakura what are you…? Oh, please don't tell me Okon and Omasu talked you into their crazy matchmaking scheme!" Misao gasped in horror as Sakura nodded. She sighed in exasperation she'd been aware for some time now that Omasu and Okon were trying to get her and Lord Aoshi together and the two women got so excited and happy when they were planning and plotting she had never had the heart to tell them it was never going to happen. She resolved then and there that she was going to have a serious talk with those two.

"Sakura, listen Lord Aoshi cares about me but not that way, I'm more like a little sister to him," she patiently explained though it tore her heart in two to finally admit it out loud, "he loves me just not that way, ok!" she put one hand on each of her friends shoulders and they both began to cry.

"All right stop already! There's no damage done that I cannot fix! I'm a ninja after all! Just leave it to me!" she declared boastfully sounding far more confident than she felt. She hugged her two friends tightly whispering reassurances then stepped back and smiled

"Well! Better get going! The sooner I get home the better! Tell the guys I'll see them tomorrow, ok!" she stated cheerfully. As she hurried off she didn't see the change that suddenly came over Sakura. Her brother had ruined everything and she vowed at that moment that it would be the last time!

* * *

Aoshi had to reach for every ounce of self control in him to keep from going back in the house and beating the life out of those two drunks. Unbidden the image rose in his mind: Sutesuke lying on top of his Misao, her cheerful face twisted in rage and disgust. Vaguely he wondered what could that idiot have said that could have possibly been worst than what he was doing. He clenched his fists tight and forced himself to remain where he was. He turned as he saw her hurry towards him. Her face looked flushed and her bangs looked wet.

'She must've been washing her face,' he reasoned thinking he would've probably done the same in her position again the image rose in his mind and with great effort he forced the anger boiling to the surface back down into the depths of his soul.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm ready now Lord Aoshi," she said timidly, the angry look in his eyes making her cautious. He shook his head slightly and his face returned to its usual stoic expression.

"It's all right Misao but are you sure you're ok?" he asked solemnly

"Yes! I'm fine! Let's go!" she replied cheerfully. He took her hand again and they hurried off…

Misao walked quietly next to Aoshi, he hadn't let go of her hand and she was having a little trouble keeping up with his longer stride. She watched shadows lengthen as the sun set in the western skies painting the waters of the river on their left crimson and black. At first she relished the fact that he was holding her hand but now she was starting to get irritated at being dragged down the streets of Kyoto like a misbehaving little girl. However, she was reluctant to say anything to him since it was obvious just by glancing at him that he was really pissed off!

'_If you want people to treat you like an adult then you must act like one!_' Mrs. Kate had admonished her long ago on a day that she'd been yelling at Kuro for treating her like a little kid in front of her friends. Since then she had toned down her yelling and made greater efforts to control her temper and be more diplomatic.

'Easier said than done!' Misao thought and though a lot of people did treat her like an adult these days the ones closest to her still treated her like a precocious child. His grip tightened on her hand and he began picking up speed again. She clenched her teeth to keep a fearful gasp from escaping her lips. If he kept speeding up she was going to trip and fall flat on her face and that was just an embarrassment she wasn't willing to tolerate from anyone, even Lord Aoshi. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for what she needed to do…

* * *

Aoshi rushed away from the Haruno's place his mind completely focused on only one task: getting Misao away from that place as fast as he could! He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything to Sakura's brother tonight but he could come back in the morning. Once Sutesuke and his friend were sobered up a little then they would pay!

'Besides, I promised Kuro and Shiro that I would include them the next time!' he thought as again he tried to stamp out the images that kept popping up in his mind. Is this the type of injustices Mrs. Kate had referred to? Does she always have to deal with situations like these? The logical part of his brain forced him to analyze the situation with detached clinical observation. Yes, Misao had been disgusted but she had not looked worried or afraid and by the time he punched Sutesuke she had already freed herself from his grip. He knew from experience that every woman in the Oniwaban was trained to be an expert escape artist to protect them from the horrors enemies inflicted on captured females.

'I'm sure that Omasu or Okon must've taught her more than one way to get out of that type of situation and Sasuke did say she cuts Sutesuke a lot of slack so she probably was trying to end the situation peaceable for Sakura's sake,' he concluded at the same time wondering how many times she had to use such defensive techniques. He quickly shook that thought away, he didn't want to think about how often useless morons had forced Misao into a situation where she had to defend herself.

'_So they crawl out of the woodworks and throw themselves at her caring not at all about how she feels or what she wants!_' those had been Kate-sensei's scornful words. 'Yes, most likely she _has_ had to defend herself often!' he realized guiltily feeling just as angry with himself as with those men for his inexcusable neglect. Unconsciously his hand gripped hers a little tighter and he walked a little faster. Suddenly he felt her hand ripped away from his and he turned instinctively seeking to regain his hold on it but stopped as he took one look at Misao.

"I'm sorry Lord Aoshi, but I'm having trouble keeping up with you," she explained as she clutched her hand to her chest but what really surprised him was the defiance in her voice. He stared at her in confusion for a moment, was he reading her face right? She looked…angry…at him! No, that wasn't possible she was never angry at him

"I'm sorry…I didn't realize…" he began hesitantly but stopped because the defiant look in her face was completely throwing him off and his tongue had already betrayed him several times today…

"I'm not as fast or as strong as you are Lord Aoshi," she continued feeling more than a bit resentful, of all the people in her life, if there was one person she thought she could count on to never treat her like a child it was her beloved Lord Aoshi, it hurt to think she'd been wrong.

"And just so you know I wasn't going to let Sutesuke get the best of me! Just because I'm not the strongest or the fastest in the Oniwaban that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!" she stated looking at him suddenly feeling betrayed but with a mighty effort she resisted the urge to yell, stomp away or hit something telling herself sternly that only little kids do that! She looked at her hand and tried to massage away the ache his grip had created and with deliberate slowness she walked over to a short bench at the edge of the river. She sat as gracefully as she knew how all the while sternly instructing herself that adults maintain they're dignity even when they are tired and angry.

Aoshi was suddenly rooted to his spot. She had never, ever spoken to him like that and it was more than a bit disconcerting! A voice in his head that sounded a lot like Hannya was demanding that he correct the situation immediately. The grace in her soft steps as she walked away from him jarred him out of his reveries.

'Oh, good job Aoshi, you have now managed to add insult to injury!' he scolded himself as went after her and sat next to her

"I'm sorry Misao, I didn't mean for you to think I doubt your abilities I know you're more than capable of handling any situation, the truth is I just reacted I didn't think and I'm sorry if I offended you with my thoughtlessness," Aoshi explained feeling that somehow this apology wasn't quite enough.

"Oh, I see…" she replied confused 'He "just reacted"? What's that supposed to mean?' she wondered, the girly part of her brain that always pictured Lord Aoshi as the hero of every fairytale calmly explained that he was "reacting" as a jealous boyfriend would but she shook her head.

'Reality check, Misao! He doesn't see you that way and you know it! Don't fool yourself!' she scolded herself, 'he's just doing his "brotherly" duty and he just can't help feeling responsible for me,' she reasoned sadly as she glanced out of the corner of her eye she could easily tell he was pretty mad. He was probably berating himself for not being close at hand to protect her

'…Like a good big brother is supposed to,' she thought glumly but took a deep breath and shook her sadness away, her mission after all was to drive away his guilt and pain not to add more to it.

"It's ok Lord Aoshi! You don't have to worry about me! You trained me remember! So you just let me deal with guys like Sutesuke ok!" she informed him amiably. Aoshi frowned he knew what she was doing: she was piling on herself all the worries and responsibilities to protect the peace and tranquility of his life.

"No, it's not ok. There is no reason why my Leader should have to be troubled by scum like him. They should always treat you with the utmost respect," he countered a little more heatedly than he intended. Misao just looked bewildered

'Ok, that's new! He never calls me that…' Misao thought surprised and not quite sure how to respond at first with this sudden outpour of righteous indignation. Then a little voice inside her that sounded a lot like Ms. Megumi gave her the answer; a little voice that always pushed her mind in the most cynical and jaded direction; a little voice that said all men are stupid, silly creatures that need everything laid out clearly or they get lost in their own little heads; a voice that constantly reminded her that she was nothing but a silly dirt-faced little girl not the star of her very own fairytale and no amount of face washing, makeup or pretty kimonos was going to change that!

It was a voice that she first started hearing on the day Kenshin's son Kenji was born, Ms. Megumi got drunk and a few of her comments had hit too close to the mark. She had tried to fight off the voice but it had been gaining power over her since then, especially after all the failed miai she made herself attend for Okina's sake. In an odd way she drew strength from that voice, strength to face the reality of her life and accept it as is with no prince riding to the rescue, no happily ever after.

"Well, I hate to break it to ya Lord Aoshi but most guys these days _are_ like Sutesuke and I've been dealing with them for so long I don't even give it a second thought anymore!" she retorted sarcastically and she laughed.

A chill ran down Aoshi's spine as he heard the bitter cynicism in her laughter. For an instant he pictured a future in which Misao's smiles were cold and false. He forced that thought away and hoped with all his might that he would never have to hear that bitter laugh again that this was a one-time fluke. He shook his head unable to dislodge the image of a future in which Misao looked and sounded like Megumi Takane. He couldn't accept it, it wasn't Misao

"It's not fair…" he said softly unwilling to believe that his innocent and cheerful ninja princess could possibly cease to exist one day

"But that's the way it is!" she countered evenly, "Especially for girls like me with no father or husband, guys just think they can walk all over us! It's hard but its life!" she explained shrewdly and bent down to pick up a tiny pebble and flick it with her thumb into the river. "It could be worse though, I could be forced to marry someone for money or prestige but instead I can say whatever I want and live my life the way I want to, believe me I count myself among the lucky ones!" she added with a cynical undertone that sapped away the warmth from her voice

Aoshi just stared at her in utter shock wondering if this meant he was too late to tell her how he felt, too late to make it up to her. He hated to admit it but Shuhei was right the men her age could never understand the wonderful person that she is and by the time they were mature enough to appreciate someone like her the beautiful person that she is would be gone. He shook his head again

'No! There must still be hope! There has to be a way! I won't lose her too! I refuse to lose her!' he decided as he feverishly searched his mind for the right words that would bring back his cheerful and happy ninja princess and banish this dark and cynical woman sitting next to him

"So don't worry about that stuff Lord Aoshi! It's just not worth brooding about it! Just about every guy these days is like Sutesuke and their just not worth wasting time thinking about 'em!" she shrugged and reached down to grab another tiny pebble and casually flick it into the river

"Could that possibly be so? Is there really not a single person worthy of your time and affection? It just doesn't seem like you to say something like that…" he countered cautiously, he was still having trouble accepting that this bitter and cynical woman talking to him was the same selfless and caring woman who cried her heart out in his arms just this morning in the kitchen. To his continued amazement she rolled her eyes and sighed in mild exasperation

"Do you remember that story Hannya you used to read to me all the time?" she asked with a forced patience that suggested she was trying to explain a simple concept to a particularly dense child for the fifth time

"Yes, it was "Crescent Moon in the Warring States" it was your favorite," he replied softly wary of Misao's attitude

"As you know in this story Princess Natsu falls in love with a swordsman who is of course beneath her rank he obviously reciprocates but like a good little honorable samurai he keeps his distance and follows his master's commands," she rolled her eyes again in annoyance and Aoshi suppressed a shiver that the cold mocking tone in her voice was provoking.

"Her father sends her off to marry a psycho called Iwano from a neighboring state in the hopes of establishing a peace treaty with said state but since he is the villain of our story he promptly breaks the treaty as soon as he has his greedy little hands on our beautiful heroine, but wait there's more!" she exclaimed in that cold mocking tone rolling her eyes once more

"Even after his Lord and the rest of the royal family were executed, what does our _gallant hero_ do? He spends nearly the rest of the story wallowing in self-loathing and wishing for death when what he should've done is rush right back over to that psycho's stronghold and rescue the princess the instant Iwano backstabbed her father! He's so stupid!" she ranted on bitterly.

'Where is all this darkness coming from? Did my thoughtless neglect create this?' he asked himself too horrified by Misao's new interpretation of what used to be her favorite story to say anything

"Lucky for Princess Natsu though he acquired a wise - if cowardly - little sidekick who kindly points out to him that obviously she'll never be happy again if he dies and thus our brave hero gets a clue; kicks Iwano's butt and goes to rescue his beloved princess and then its _happily ever after _people!" she added sounding angry and disgusted.

"See, my point is Lord Aoshi that first and most important of all: I am **_not_** a princess; second: there are no _gallant heroes_ in the world and third: the only types of guys around here are greedy fools like Iwano who don't really care about anything except satisfying their own greedy little hearts," she concluded casually 'besides there's no such thing as a fairytale ending at least not for me' she added glumly to herself

"So I'd rather be alone than spend the rest of my life with some greedy, selfish psycho, thank you very much!" she added cheerfully sounding as bubbly as she normally sounded she turned and smiled at him

"You know we should get home it's getting late!" she pointed out and cheerfully bounced off the bench, she bent down to look at him and smiled again, "come on Lord Aoshi let's go!" she added sweetly but Aoshi wasn't fooled. It was painfully obvious to him that her smile was false and her eyes were devoid of the joy that usually accompanied her smiles. He realized that _now_ was the time to say what was in his heart, if he didn't her joy would eventually fade and he could look forward to nothing but a lifetime of false smiles and cynical opinions.

The only ray of light was that it wasn't too late. Her new interpretation of her story was an absolutely perfect metaphor for him! After all, he had been a fool wallowing in self-loathing and guilt wishing for death and he had abandoned _his_ princess in the process. Her obvious anger with the hero meant that he still had a chance to redeem himself and protect her happiness and he knew now just what to say! Even the part about a wise sidekick pointing out the obvious to him was true although he would not categorize either Kate-sensei or Shuhei as cowardly.

"No, the story is not over yet…" he said shaking his head and her smile was replaced by a puzzled expression. There was an odd light in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, no scratch that! She had seen that light before, briefly on the day he'd arrived from America

"Are you ok Lord Aoshi?" she asked softly slightly worried that he might be coming down with a cold or something like on that day. To her great surprise he smiled

"I'm fine…I'm sorry it took me so long," he said in a soft purring tone that made the little girly romantic part of Misao squeal in delight and shushed the bitter cold voice in her mind. She swallowed hard wondering what in the world she did to get him to do that!

"Um…Lord Aoshi?" she asked hesitantly, he just smirked in a strange way that made her insides twist in a knot and gave the girly romantic side of her free reign with her imagination! He wrapped his hands around her small waist and pulled her back towards the low bench and knelt in front of her. That simple touch was making her stomach do flips and that little girly voice in her head that had given her the "jealous boyfriend" theory began chanting: I was right! I was right! The bitter cold part of her suddenly had nothing to say

"Misao, I came back from Shishio's Lair because I didn't want you to be sad or lonely anymore. I chose to live after my fight with Himura because I wanted to be here to protect your happiness but so far I've done a very poor job," he began gently. Misao's fingers fidgeted nervously she shook her head and was about to deny it and reassure him that she really was happy but his fingers touched her lips softly making her mind suddenly go blank.

"Wait! Let me finish…" his voice had an unusual intensity to it that she'd never heard before. The touch of his fingers on her lips was almost enough to melt away the cold that had been creeping into her heart lately. His hand moved slowly and gently to her cheek caressing her face as it went, her breathing sped up and her eyes went wide as she waited expectantly for him to continue. He smiled again, he was glad she'd taken off that ribbon tying her hair back; he liked it better when her hair was free

"Misao, I love you and your happiness means more to me than I can express in words! If you tell me that I'm not too late and that my love is worthy of you I will spend the rest of my life making sure nothing disturbs your happiness ever again!" he promised fiercely. The passionate intensity in his voice made her heart pound violently and she thought for a moment that she'd actually stopped breathing. The little girly voice in her head that had been nothing more than a light whisper lately suddenly roared at the highest volume

"YES!" she exclaimed loudly joy dancing in her eyes the girly romantic side of her completely took over control of her body and she threw her arms around him and added

"I love you too Aoshi Shinomori!" she declared gleefully and as he wrapped his arms around her waist; pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply she realized that _this _was certainly more than enough to melt away the ice that had been restricting her heart lately and she happily melted into his embrace.

* * *

Well, now that those two are together I can finally get to the part of the story I've been dying to write! No, it isn't a lemon or an intense make out scene (when I write that I will let you know where I'm posting it! Ok!). Not to give anything away but one of the things I like most about our (way-too-beautiful-to-be-a-guy!) ninja master is watching him twirl his short swords in that lethal dance of his! So I can't very well end this story without a chance to see _him_ get to kick some serious ass! No, it will not happen against Sutesuke! That idiot doesn't even deserve to be spit on by our beloved ninja master!

Also, there will be a bit of insight on what Kate-sensei is…but just a bit. Stay tuned!

**Autumndays:** I am glad you're still enjoying the story. I hope you hang in there for the finale there is some more fluff coming up and then…well you'll just have to read!


	6. The death of Aoshi Shinomori

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi, Dukes of Hazzard or Star Trek Voyager…

* * *

**Part 6: The death of Aoshi Shinomori **

It was completely dark by the time they reluctantly pulled away from their kiss…

To a ninja darkness is a stalwart companion, a mighty shield… a loyal friend. To the two ninjas whose paths finally joined together at the side of the river; the night shadows became the first witness to their newborn love. It was fitting then that the night sky should be the only one to hear Aoshi passionately whisper words Misao thought she'd never hear. A soft breeze blew by the river bank insuring that none but the shadows heard him ask for her hand in marriage and her dreamy and joyous reply would be carried up by the wind for only the spirits of the night to hear.

"We should really get home now," he whispered as he helped her up off the bench. She merely smiled and nodded looking a little dazed but happy. He took her hand and pulled her close. This time as they walked home he made sure to be more considerate of her shorter stride. There was still the matter of dealing with Sutesuke and his friend but that could wait, in fact, he should probably just let Kuro and Shiro handle it after all he did owe them for not bringing them along for the Kaiba incident. For now though all that mattered to him was making sure Misao's present and future happiness was assured. The two finally arrived at the Aoiya

"Did you have dinner already?" Misao asked as they walked into the Aoiya. He shook his head

"No I haven't," he replied as he slid the door closed behind him

"Well, why don't you go wash up and change while I make you something for dinner?" she suggested cheerfully and turned to hurry off to the kitchen but Aoshi's arms prevented her from leaving. He pulled her close again and kissed her

"Your avoiding it!" he stated and kissed her senseless again

"Avoiding what?" she asked feeling a little weak in the knees and was glad that Aoshi was still holding her

"Saying my name without the _Lord_ attached to it!" he retorted sounding somewhat amused, he loved the way she blushed every time he touched her. It was very…encouraging!

"It just feels a little weird…I've been calling you _Lord_ Aoshi for so long…" she began but he cut her off again with yet another searing kiss. She felt her knees buckle but his arms held on tight and whatever reservations she still had disappeared

"Say it!" he purred softly in her ear, this physical closeness to her filled him with a vitality he hadn't felt in a _very_ long time

"Aoshi…" she whispered dreamily back and the soft tone in her voice sent a thrill through him and stirred up sensations and emotions that he had long considered dead

"See? That wasn't so hard," he pointed out. The slight note of mischief in his voice both surprised and delighted her! It was a side of him she hadn't known existed and she wondered what other surprises would be in store for her! She happily caught on to his little game and wrapping her arms around his chest she decided to play along

"Well I don't know, it might take a while for me to get used to it so I might need some more encouragement!" she suggested with cheerful innocence. He smirked and again he kissed her

"How much more?" he asked softly but didn't let her answer. He smothered her in his blazing kisses and she melted into his seemingly insatiable embrace. So intent were they in their kissing game they didn't notice Kate-sensei approach. She cleared her throat loudly and the two lovers started slightly

"Good evening children," she greeted casually though she was barely restraining an amused smirk.

"Good evening Mrs. Kate!" Misao returned the greeting with more cheer than she'd felt in a while. Mrs. Kate smiled at them in that motherly way that said she both knew what was going on and approved. Aoshi found it more than a little disconcerting when he realized that the old woman seemed to know more about what people were thinking and feeling than they themselves knew. The fact that she could sneak up on him and all the other ninjas in the Aoiya most of the time was positively astonishing! But he didn't feel too worried about it; she had more than proven herself a good friend and wise counsel and she could sneak up on Kenshin and his master just as easily as she could sneak up on the ninjas.

"Good evening Kate-sensei," he addressed her solemnly thinking perhaps he should introduce her to Saito and see if she can sneak up on him too.

"I think it's safe to assume that you're both having a good night so far?" she commented not bothering to hide her amusement. Aoshi smirked and nodded his arms were still wrapped tight around his ninja princess

"Yep! We sure are!" Misao exclaimed happily, the old woman laughed and it seemed to Aoshi that a youthful light flashed briefly in her eyes. When he thought about it Mrs. Kate always did seem to favor Misao. She was kind and motherly to most young people but it seemed Misao held a particularly special place for her and anyone Misao didn't particularly care for or made her unhappy in any way would quickly incur her wrath. In similar manner anyone Misao favored would receive preferential treatment. This had only become apparent to him this afternoon when _he _had incurred the old woman's ire. He was sure now that the only reason she kept coming back to Japan was because of Misao. He thought perhaps he might ask her some time.

"Well I'm happy for you dear child!" she replied patting both of them on the cheek in a motherly way then turned towards the kitchen after giving them one last nod of approval. He excused himself from the two women's presence to follow his future wife's instructions. He gave Misao one more quick kiss before he rushed off. He was quickly finding out that being so close to his ninja princess was somewhat addictive!

"So where is everybody?" Misao asked excitedly as she followed Mrs. Kate to the kitchen, she could still feel her skin burning from the heat of Aoshi's kisses. She found herself briefly torn between the urge to follow him back to his room and the need to confide in Mrs. Kate what had transpired that evening. However, Aoshi had not eaten yet and her tendency to be protective of his well-being won out and made her follow the old woman to the kitchen.

"Well I believe Mr. Okina is playing Go with his friends Mr. Motou and Mr. Haruno, Shiro-chan and Kuro-chan went out with Mr. Shuhei and Okon-chan and Omasu-chan are out with that Hiko fellow!" she informed her and Misao giggled as the old timer wrinkled her nose in distaste at the last name she mentioned. Mrs. Kate and Master Hiko had clashed from the instant they met! It didn't help that every time Master Hiko instigated a battle of wits with Mrs. Kate she always left him choking in her dust. Misao's favorite pastime was watching Master Hiko get his butt handed to him by Mrs. Kate!

"So how was your party dear," she asked and Misao launched into a brief account of the goings on at the party. Mrs. Kate frowned at the mention of Sakura's brother, the two entered the kitchen and Misao set to work pausing in her account for only a second to ask her if she wanted some tea and dinner. She refused dinner, saying she already had some but accepted the tea. Her eyes went wide with shock as Misao told her what happened with Sutesuke and Kamo and she frowned in heavy disapproval; but her frown disappeared as Misao recounted dreamily what Aoshi had said to her by the river.

"Well, I'm so glad he finally opened up! I'm sure you'll be very happy together," she remarked merrily as she took the tea cup Misao was offering.

"Mrs. Kate, Sutesuke said something that…well I just don't know if I should tell Aoshi…I don't want him to get angry again," she began hesitantly. Mrs. Kate frowned and she patted Misao's hand encouragingly

"Tell me dear," she ordered firmly but gently. Misao always felt safe telling Mrs. Kate how she felt or what she thought. Mrs. Kate was very good at keeping secrets and she always knew the right thing to say

"Well he said…well his exact words were…" she hesitated then repeated exactly what Sutesuke had said about Aoshi being too old to have "what it takes" to please young pretty girls like her. For a moment Mrs. Kate said nothing then to Misao's great shock she exploded into giant guffaws and Misao was afraid that Mrs. Kate was going to bust a rib! The old timer took a deep breath and with great effort forced herself to stop laughing

"I'm sorry dear! I don't mean to make fun! Let me ask you this: Do you really believe that Sutesuke is right?" she asked and watched Misao mull over the question for a moment then when the young woman blushed and giggled softly

"No, I didn't think so!" Mrs. Kate answered for her and chuckled in a strange girlish way that didn't sound like her at all. Misao looked somewhere between amused and confused

"I believe that you should tell him only if he asks you but bear in mind that when men have their virility questioned they will wish to prove the inaccuracy of such statements to the object of their affection," she whispered conspiratorially then winked and giggled in that strange girlish way that Misao had never heard before. Misao blushed fiercely as she realized what Mrs. Kate was talking about

"And granted Aoshi-chan may be different from most men but he is still a man and _you_ are the sole object of his affections," she explained still keeping her voice in a conspiratorial whisper. Misao giggled

"Besides judging by how things were going just a few minutes ago I would say it won't be long before he makes an _effective_ demonstration!" the old timer added cheerfully sipping her tea

"I personally would recommend not making your engagement period too long!" she whispered with a hint of mischief in her voice and laughed as Misao blushed deeply after all Misao had been thinking just that! To Misao's further shock Mrs. Kate proceeded to "educate" her in the ways of men and women, but to her relief Mrs. Kate's version didn't sound as gross or intimidating as Okon had made it sound on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. In fact it sounded so much more appealing that suddenly she couldn't wait for her wedding day!

"Mrs. Kate, I'm so glad you're here!" Misao pointed out still blushing from all the interesting revelations. The two huddled close together and surreptitiously speculated how much Aoshi might know about such things even though it made Misao a little jealous to think other women might have touched _her_ Aoshi. Mrs. Kate explained that it was most definitely a possibility that he does have experience given their age difference but that she shouldn't concern herself with the past.

"Dear, what is important is that Aoshi-chan is yours now and any experience he might have will only serve to benefit the two of you in the future!" Mrs. Kate advised her solemnly. On impulse, Misao hugged the old woman tight she didn't know why but she felt as though this evening's happy events she owed them to her intervention.

When Aoshi walked in they were deep in a conversation that stopped the instant he stepped into the kitchen. He cast them both suspicious glances as they giggled conspiratorially. Misao bounced up, took his hand and pulled him all the way into the kitchen. In no time at all his dinner and tea were laid out before him

"Ok so now it's my turn! I'll go change while you have you're dinner ok _Lord_ Aoshi," she informed him, intentionally forgetting to detach the honorific from his name. He turned with lightning speed and his arms were around her waist so quickly she hardly saw them move

"You did that on purpose!" he purred seductively

"Did what?" she asked innocently smiling cheerfully at him.

"I suppose you still need more encouragement?" He asked a touch of playfulness in his voice. Misao smiled eagerly and he smirked then devoured her in another burning kiss

"I'll take that as my cue to make a dignified exit!" Mrs. Kate said to herself with a chuckle of amusement deciding to refill her tea cup before returning to her room but as she was reaching for the pot Misao stopped her.

"Please stay here with Aoshi until I come back Mrs. Kate!" Misao requested as she filled Mrs. Kate's cup for her. Mrs. Kate nodded amiably and Misao bounced away from the kitchen but not without another searing kiss from her betrothed. Aoshi watched content as she cheerfully skipped away then turned towards Mrs. Kate

"Thank you," he said softly she looked up from her tea

"For what child," she replied a bit mystified

"For taking care of her, for looking out for her," he explained, he was sure that Mrs. Kate's main reason for returning to the Aoiya was Misao but he wanted her to know that he was aware of it and that he was grateful. Her eyebrow raised in slight surprise

"I don't do much more than listen but I'm glad I was finally able to give something back," she replied contentedly. He looked confused for a moment and again she gave him that all-knowing motherly smile

"You see for an old one like me, whose life's path is as barren as a dessert, it is a rare treasure to find such an oasis as that young girl's heart," she explained wistfully. The sad tone in her voice caught Aoshi by surprise but he knew that Mrs. Kate had no family except for some orphans that she cared for in her ranch and her farm back home and they were mostly grown now.

"So I don't mind traveling halfway across the world to see it or pulling a few strings to keep it from withering away!" she declared cheerfully

"Wouldn't you?" she added with a touch of mischief in her voice. He smirked and nodded. Yes, he would travel halfway around the world for Misao's smile but he'd go twice around it for her forgiveness and acceptance.

"Kate-sensei, you haven't known me as long as you've known Misao but you were able to read me so well. How did you figure me out so easily?" Aoshi asked seriously starting to worry about whether he was losing his touch; he would be of no use to his Leader if he couldn't conceal his emotions from people.

"Don't worry child you're skills have not diminished," she began with a knowing smile and a wink

"I'm just old and experience, my boy, is the best teacher in the universe!" she replied enigmatically

"Now eat child! Misao-chan worries when you don't!" she commanded sternly before Aoshi could ask her to elaborate. Automatically, he obeyed but as he did he realized that no one ever questioned her when she issued an order, it surprised him that it did not bother him. She cheerfully changed the subject and began talking about her farm in some place called Hazzard County where some of the members of her Duke clan (that's the last name she gives the orphans she adopts and raises in America) grew corn and made the "finest" whiskey in all the of the USA and her cattle ranch in Texas where she boasted of owning the best herd in all the state!

"Now making moonshine is tricky business! But my kids are especially adept! Their liquor is always in high demand! But the ranch is my personal favorite!" she ranted on describing at length the beauty of the corn fields during harvest season, the wide open spaces of her cattle ranch, the magnificence of the prairies when in the full bloom of spring, the cool ocean breeze on a warm summer day on the beaches of California and the sweet scent of the evergreens in the mountains of Colorado during winter.

Her descriptions of America's many natural beauties sounded so alluring that for a moment he wondered if he'd been in a different country from the one she was describing! His memories of his trip to the USA consisted mostly of long and uncomfortable journeys on dusty roads and endless train rides packed with weird people who didn't _ever_ shut up! And if that wasn't bad enough arriving in cities so noisy and over-crowded it was impossible for anyone to get a proper night's sleep!

"I knew I should've sat in the compartment you were traveling on Kate-sensei, the view must've been so much better there," he commented dryly as she paused to take a sip of her tea. She looked up, a look of utter shock on her face then laughed so hard she had to put her cup down so she could hold her sides. For a moment Aoshi was worried that the old woman would stop breathing or have a heart-attack or both! Again with great difficulty she forced herself to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry! Oh, I haven't laughed this hard in _ages_!" she remarked as she took another deep breath and attempted to regain control of herself. Aoshi merely stared at her in confusion. Kate-sensei was a very respectable and sophisticated person; she was definitely _not_ prone to such uncouth outbursts, well, at least he had thought she wasn't…until now!

"You are absolutely right, I should've been you're guide from the start! But not to worry I'm going to fix that!" she announced cheerfully. Aoshi gave her a dubious look

"Fix it? How?" he asked looking slightly confused, she became serious and thoughtful again

"Well, for years I've been trying to get Misao to come and visit my ranch and meet some of my kids and I think now would be a good time to finally get you two down there but that's something you'll have to discuss with you're future wife though. You see, she has always refused my invitations even though I knew she would've loved to come, at first it was because she was looking for you and I understood and respected that but afterwards…" she paused as Aoshi cut her off

"Because she wouldn't leave me," he guessed feeling extremely guilty that Misao would deny herself something she wanted for his sake. Kate-sensei nodded solemnly, and then something else occurred to him

"But if she's always wanted to go how come she didn't come with us when we went to America?" he asked tentatively

"Can you really not guess why?" she countered patiently. Guiltily he looked down and with effort continued eating his food

'Of course you can!' she reasoned shrewdly to herself, 'you put that girl through the wringer young man! Don't think I'm going to let you off that easy!' she thought as she promised herself that she would make him painfully aware of every single hardship Misao endured quietly for the sake of his peace and well-being. After all it was as Aoshi had guessed, the only reason she came back was for Misao and in fact, had she been given the choice she would've taken Misao away and raised the girl in her ranch in the USA with her other kids.

"She was trying to do the mature adult thing and give herself some temporary physical distance between her and you so she could get over what she used to call her "useless girly feelings" for you and in this way become a more useful friend and competent warrior companion. She even went as far as hiring that insufferable young man Mr. Hiko to improve her martial arts training while you were gone!" she lectured and feeling pleased with the results of Aoshi's dress-down she continued

"Mind you, how she tolerated that man's sarcastic remarks just so she could be strong enough to be some sort of substitute for the men you lost is beyond me!" she concluded sounding amazed and slightly mystified. Aoshi looked up shocked his chopsticks snapped in half

"What?...Why?...How?" he stammered confused and stunned that his ninja princess would go to such lengths just to ease his pain.

"**_What_** she endured was a once a week intense Hiten-mitsurugi based training geared to increase her speed and strength. **_Why:_** duh! You are the center of her existence and the thing you seem to value most is martial arts strength. **_How:_** well, that's simple she took what little she earns here - that she doesn't spend on getting something you or the Aoiya needs - to buy Sake and other provisions for that pottery hermit and carried them herself up the mountain every week!" she enumerated scornfully

"I certainly hope you're not expecting a dowry young man!" she remarked severely. Aoshi just stared at her in wide-eyed shock and shook his head vigorously

"It hadn't even occurred to me," he replied sincerely and added in his defense that he wouldn't have wanted nor needed one from her anyway. Kate-sensei nodded in solemn approval and calmly sipped her tea. Guilt and pride battled for supremacy within his heart. He was proud of the fact that his Okashira - and soon to be wife - was tough enough to withstand the intensity of Hiten-mitsurugi training but felt guilty that she did it because she thought it would make him happy. Shame eventually beat out the other two as he realized how much she had endured quietly right under his nose. It was no wonder that Misao was able to speak earlier with such bitterness and cynicism! Not a moment too soon did he decide to open up to her; he didn't want to think of what would've happened if he'd continued being the way he was before.

"This isn't going to be easy," he thought out loud as he got up to get a new set of chopsticks feeling lowlier than an ant and wondering how in the world he was going to make up for all this.

"Well, I didn't say it would be, now did I! But you're a smart young man I'm sure you'll figure out something!" Kate-sensei replied cheerfully, smiled and happily went back to sipping her tea. Before he could respond he heard the noisy arrival of Okon and Omasu accompanied by Master Hiko. Misao's voice joined their voices and before anyone could move to a distance where he could actually make out what they were saying the voices of Shiro, Kuro and Okina joined in as they arrived at the inn.

He finished quickly the remainder of his rice and cleared his dishes away leaving only his tea cup. Kate-sensei went back to excitedly talking about her ranch and suggesting a possible itinerary for their visit to the USA on their honeymoon as her _guests_ and she was clear to emphasize that last item. He refilled his tea cup and Kate-sensei's as everyone filed into the kitchen. He was surprised to see a very nasty bruise on the side of Master Hiko's face and apparently it was the main topic of conversation. Okon quickly rushed to get Master Hiko some Sake while Omasu directed him towards a seat between Aoshi and Mrs. Kate

"Mrs. Kate! Can you help Master Hiko?" was the first thing that came out of Misao's mouth as she returned to the kitchen which didn't surprise Aoshi; it was typical of Misao to try and help someone in need. With an exaggerated dramatic sigh Kate-sensei moved closer to take a look and assessed that she indeed had something that would help with the swelling.

"But there are other more serious injuries on you aren't there?" she inquired testily. Hiko just glared at her suspiciously

"How do you know that?" he replied equally cross the old woman rolled her eyes and sarcastically began listing the reasons

"Well, number one: you walked into the kitchen like a normal person for once rather than use that insufferable swagger of yours; two: your shirt isn't as open as it usually is; three: you sat very slowly; four: you…"

"All right, fine! You guessed it! So I do have few other bruises!" he cut her off irritated "I don't see how it should concern you!"

"What a brat! Young man, it concerns me because my Hippocratic Oath requires me to treat all patients without discrimination and because those three girls worry their pretty little heads off when someone they have befriended is injured!" she scolded gesturing to indicate Okon, Omasu and Misao as she got up.

"Come along now! Let's get those injuries treated!" she commanded and with a soft growl of annoyance Hiko downed quickly the Sake Okon had poured for him and got up but turned for a moment

"Hey you, when are you coming by again?" he asked gruffly, Aoshi almost opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he realized that Hiko wasn't talking to him he was talking to Misao. She smiled up at him

"Sorry Master Hiko, I've been really busy but I'll come over soon ok!" she replied eagerly

"Have you been practicing?" he asked and to Aoshi's surprise she smiled proudly he was starting to think there was more to Kate-sensei's story than she let on.

'I better check out _all_ the facts before I go around trying to mend things that might not be broken,' he reasoned starting to wonder if maybe Kate-sensei might have exaggerated a few points here and there so she could move things along faster

"Yep! Sure have!" she replied cheerfully as she took her spot on Aoshi's right and he put his arm around her waist to pull her close

"Very good! Don't let it go to waste Makimachi! Come soon," he instructed as he reluctantly followed Mrs. Kate out of the kitchen. Okon and Omasu began to follow but Mrs. Kate sternly instructed them to remain in the kitchen and when they saw the cozy position Aoshi and Misao were in they quickly changed their minds about following and decided to stay to find out what was going on.

"How did he get in that condition?" Aoshi asked Misao. She explained that an unknown swordsman carrying a strange foreign sword had recently been challenging Master Hiko to fights and seemed to be quite a strong opponent. As they discussed the details of Master Hiko's mysterious adversary they were completely unaware of the hush that had suddenly fallen over the kitchen as all eyes fell on the two of them.

"So! When you two are ready I'm sure we'd all like to know why we have been called into the kitchen this evening," Okina asked amused, speaking for the first time since he'd walked into the kitchen with the others. He had made a quiet entry in order to take in all the details, his intuition had prompted him to leave his Go game early and come home, now it looked like his hunch was about to pay off

"Oh right! Should I or…?" Misao looked inquiringly up at Aoshi then smiled cheerfully at him and to the utter amazement of all present he smiled back.

"Misao and I have decided to marry," Aoshi announced not taking his eyes of his bride-to-be; she joyfully smiled up at him. For a moment there was a stunned silence in the kitchen then suddenly a merry chaos erupted in the kitchen as everyone joyfully congratulated the new couple and began planning and celebrating the impending nuptials…

* * *

Master Hiko stopped as he climbed the stairs after Mrs. Kate when the explosion of noise from the kitchen reached his ears.

"So I take it Shinomori finally get his act together?" he asked as they resumed climbing the stairs

"Well, what do you know? The boy does have a brain in that pretty little head of his," she commented sarcastically as they made their way to her room where her medical bag was. He growled angrily but said nothing and Mrs. Kate surmised that he must really be in pain if he wasn't arguing

"To answer your question…Yes, he did and he and Misao will be getting married soon," she replied but Hiko realized that the contemptuous tone she usually reserved for him was absent. She opened the door to her room and lit the lamp, patiently instructing him to sit near the lamp

"Well, I guess there goes another student with good potential," he commented truly disappointed that Misao wouldn't be training with him anymore. Gingerly he removed his shirt and she examined the injuries on his back and chest critically

"Maybe," she replied patiently as the old woman applied a strong smelling ointment to his bruises

"No maybe about it! Once the little weasel starts popping out little Shinomoris there won't be any time for Hiten-Mitsurugi training," he countered dejected as she wrapped a bandage around a cracked rib tightly. He hated to think that he would be the last Seijuro Hiko and that Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu would die with him and Kenshin.

"Well here's a novel idea! Why don't you come down _here_ and continue her training!" she suggested half-mockingly. He just looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. She rolled her eyes in exasperation wondering how come even the most intelligent men could be so dense.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but hasn't Kenshin decided _not_ to pass on the Hiten-Mitsurugi sword style to anyone because of how traumatized he is with what he did with it?" she began and paused so he could respond then at his affirmative she continued

"Well, the members of this household are fighters and have a deep love for martial arts! Even if you can't impart all the Hiten-Mitsurugi principals to Misao I am sure that their union will produce plenty of other martial arts obsessed Shinomoris and at least one of them might be interested in becoming a Hiten-Mitsurugi master! Especially if you become a familiar presence in their household," she explained patiently

"Building a relationship with them now will make them more willing to trust the future of one or more of their children to you later on," she added and it shocked Hiko to hear her soothing tone of voice directed towards him even more surprising was the sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she finished applying the medicine and bandages

"Hmm, I suppose that's something to think about…I come down every other week for supplies and to sell my wares so I suppose…" he considered wondering if the sudden diminishing of the aches and pains in his body had to do with that miracle ointment of hers or the rare little pep talk…

* * *

The party continued late into the night but Aoshi and Misao managed to retire fairly early on account of her not sleeping well the night before. Okon had been so happy with the wedding announcement that she didn't even care about the stain on the sleeve of her kimono! The girls had immediately set about planning the details of the ceremony and the party but they were most excited with the prospect of the (hopefully!) many babies that would soon come and were thrilled that Aoshi and Misao had decided not to wait too long to get married!

Aoshi managed to pull Kuro, Shiro and Okina aside to tell them what had transpired at the Haruno's house and given that Mr. Haruno was an old friend of Okina's retaliating in Oniwaban style would prove difficult. It was decided they would leave Okina to come up with a way of dealing with this insult to their leader that would accomplish the task of teaching those two young men a lesson and freeing Sakura from the tight leash her father kept her on. It was something Misao had mentioned she wanted to do but was unable to figure out how on her own.

The two sat by her window looking up at the clear night sky and listening to the merry sounds of the party still going on in the kitchen. Misao sighed contentedly and curled up against Aoshi's chest, his arms wrapped tight around her keeping her warm and cozy. He began his little fact finding mission by verifying whether she allowed Saito to call her weasel-girl or not and when she laughed and confirmed that she had indeed allowed it he felt more at ease about it. He shared with her that he had lunch with some Shinsengumi survivors and was pleased to know that Misao was aware of whom those men were and where they lived even though the only ones she knew well were the Mazaki's, Shuhei and his friend Kuwajiro, Mr. Nagakura and of course Saito and his family.

"You know Mr. Mazaki actually helped us spread the word during the Kyoto Grand Fire incident. He showed up right after Kenshin's letter saying that the old wolf had sent him!" Misao cheerfully explained

"Not surprising given that the Shinsengumi's mission had been to maintain the law and order in Kyoto, I'm sure the survivors must still feel honor bound to continue that mission whenever possible," Aoshi reasoned

"Not only that but remember, Shishio drew his inspiration from the Ikeda-ya incident and that's the raid that made them famous! They'd stopped the first attempt of the Grand Fire back then so it was no surprise Saito and the other wolves wouldn't allow it to happen now!" she added seriously. Aoshi smiled, he was glad that she'd made those connections on her own, _he was so proud of her_! This brought him to the next point though…

"By the way, the other men of the Shinsengumi, they want to meet you. It seems I wasn't the only one impressed by your actions yesterday at the base; Mazaki wouldn't stop talking about it, in fact! Even Saito was _very_ impressed. It was the main topic of conversation almost all afternoon," Aoshi interjected deciding then that he would leave out his confrontations with Shuhei until he had a chance to talk to the man

"Really?" Misao replied sounding both pleased and surprised and he nodded glad that it was getting easier to smile back at her.

"Yes, there's a party tomorrow in Mibu and Mrs. Tokio and Mrs. Omasa asked me to make sure you'd come," he informed her and Misao was so excited with the prospect of going to a party with the Shinsengumi that he was glad he'd agreed to come. But then again Misao loved parties which meant he could look forward to a lot of social outings he wasn't sure he was looking forward to that part of their relationship. Maybe there's some way to compromise…

"I'm surprised you agreed to go, you don't like parties," she pointed out mystified that he would agree to such an invitation

"You're right but oddly enough I felt rather comfortable with them this afternoon, besides if you come with me tomorrow I'm sure it'll be alright," he explained and she giggled

"Don't worry _Lord_ Aoshi I'll protect you!" she teased but her laughter was swallowed by Aoshi's kisses. The ferocity and possessiveness with which she returned his kiss caught him off guard and when he finally released her it took him a moment to catch his breath. It was surprising how quickly she learned which would only make it more difficult to hold back in the days to come.

'It's gonna be a long month!' he realized as he pulled her tight against his chest again but Misao had insisted on waiting until Sasuke and Naruto finished their training so they could attend and the presence of her friends – especially on an important occasion like their wedding - was something he would never deny her.

"Mrs. Kate wants us to come and spend some time on her ranch right after we get married," Aoshi told her. Misao nodded looking thoughtful for a moment

"Yeah, that would be the best time and I do want to go but I was planning on using the Aoiya's reserves to buy old man Makino's shop next door; he's retiring and going to live with his son in Tokyo, you know; so I want to add it to the Aoiya," Misao explained looking torn between what she desired to do and what she knew the Aoiya's growing business needs

"Oh you can still do that! Kate-sensei made it very clear that we'd be her guests, she will accept no excuses this time," Aoshi informed her, glad that he'd already had this discussion with Kate-sensei

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Mrs. Kate has a tendency to try and spoil me! Still Aoshi we can't go without…" his fingers touched her lips cutting off her worried reply

"You just let me deal with that!" he declared firmly, she tried to protest but he cut her off again with a light kiss

"I will deal with it, you just think about what you want for the wedding and the trip, I will take care of those other details," he affirmed, for a moment she looked like she was going to protest but the serious look on Aoshi's face made her relent. She reached up to give him a light kiss and smiled

"Ok, you win! I suppose there are other things we need to think about too, like making room in the Aoiya for our growing family," she suggested waiting to see his reaction to the mention of children. He nodded thoughtfully and suggested that the purchase of Mr. Makino's property would give them plenty of room to build.

"If we take down the far wall of my room, we can add several more rooms to the back section of the Aoiya which we can reserve for…" he stopped as a tear ran down her face

"Misao, what's wrong?" he asked alarmed wiping the tear away from her face

"Nothing! It's just…I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up in the morning and it's all gonna be just a dream!" she tearfully explained that every now and then she would have a dream where the two of them would be sitting in her room just like now; talking about the future and then she'd wake up and she'd be all alone in her room with someone banging on her door telling her it was time to get up. He frowned and held her tight; he didn't like thinking that he'd traumatized her to the point where she would consider their current closeness to be possible only in a dream.

"Ok, then let's do this: I will wake you up in the morning and remind you that you promised to marry me in a month's time and I will do that every morning until we get married," he pledged solemnly. She smiled tentatively up at him and he kissed her fiercely hoping somehow to leave her with a lasting impression of his presence in her room.

"You really should get some sleep," he said softly, remembering that she hadn't slept well the night before but he was reluctant to let go

"Don't leave yet…" she whispered tiredly and he held her tight…

* * *

They talked for a while longer until finally she fell asleep. He found it quite satisfying that their conversations would no longer be as one-sided as they usually were. As quietly and carefully as he could he placed her on her futon. His eyes cast around her room looking for some way to let her know that he'd been here as soon as she woke.

'Perfect!' he thought as he spotted some brightly colored origami paper and the inkpot, fountain pen and journal he'd brought back from America for her. He opened the journal first and was surprised to find it empty but it seemed that several pages had been ripped off. He made a mental note to ask about that tomorrow as he quietly set about his work. He set his little "prize" on top of the open journal where he wrote a short but sweet note on the first page. Well, as sweet as he knew how, after all this relationship stuff was new to him too!

He watched her sleep for a few minutes then carefully so as to not wake her he left. For the first time since he'd returned he regretted how far his room was from everyone else's. As he walked towards his room he was surprised to find Kate-sensei actually talking quietly with Master Hiko. Well, Kate-sensei was talking and Hiko was listening carefully and attentively looking very much like a student rather than the Master.

'Whoa, you don't see that every day!' he thought not surprised that Kate-sensei had finally worked her unusual magic on Master Hiko. He didn't stop to listen; he didn't want to break the spell Kate-sensei was weaving. It could've been his imagination but Master Hiko looked like a little boy listening to a particularly exciting story. He wondered if he looked that way too when Kate-sensei was teaching him, she had an incredible gift for making the most boring subject sound fascinating.

He stopped at the kitchen where the celebrations had slowed down. He joined Okina as he discussed his plans with Shiro and Kuro to deal with Sutesuke and his best friend's unacceptable behavior and put a halt to their constant mistreatment of the girls. Okina had never interfered with how his friend raised his children knowing how hard it must've been for him after his wife died; even though he disagreed with the unfair treatment his clever and pretty daughter received. But this time his wastrel son had crossed the line and his conduct could no longer be ignored. Once it was agreed that the four of them would set out to the Haruno's early in the morning to have a serious talk with Okina's old friend; he went on to his room.

He finally reached his room and tiredly laid out his bedding. As he lay in bed he found himself for the first time in years looking forward to the future and as he drifted towards sleep he thought he could hear Hannya and the others whispering to each other excitedly…

* * *

"This is a dream," he stated as he looked around.He knew it was a dream because first: he wasn't wearing his comfortable yukata anymore; instead he was wearing his ninja uniform and trench coat andsecond: just an instant ago he had been lying in bed thinking happy thoughts of Misao and his future and now he was _here_. This place had been burned into his memory. _This wretched place! _This place which had been the site of his most heinous act: **The Place of Sight!**

He looked with dread up at the cottage. He knew Okina would be in there waiting for him and as was the case with dreams he was transported inside the cottage in the blink of an eye. He had tormented himself with this nightmare often after he returned but it had been a long time since the last time he'd suffered through it.

'Why now?' he thought desperately. He wanted to close his eyes and will himself to wake but it seemed he had no control over himself in this nightmare and became the unwilling audience of this imaginary drama. He had tortured himself for a long time with the questions this dream had posed: What if Misao had arrived before his fight with Okina ended? What would she have done? What would _he_ have done? The terrifying answers to those questions had been laid out in vivid detail for him many times in this nightmare!

Helplessly he watched from the sidelines Okina battle his demonic self as he desperately tried to will himself to wake. Soon he realized that this approach wasn't going to work so he switched to trying to order his demon self to stop, but he had no control over this nightmare. Neither his orders to the demon or his warnings to Okina were heeded. He screamed in helpless rage as the demon finally gained the upper hand and was poised to deliver the final blow. Right on cue Misao slammed open the door and rushed in.

"Stop, Lord Aoshi! Don't do this!" she tearfully begged the demon as she skidded to halt between Okina and Demon-Aoshi. The demon halted in his advance; he was unsure on how to continue in this unusual turn of events, after all even the demon had wanted to prevent _her_ from being harmed in this affair…_at first_. The demon glared at her but Misao bravely stood her ground with her arms open wide in an attempt to shield Okina with her body.

"Move or you will die," the demon stated calmly but Misao shook her head, tears began streaming down her face. She would not budge!

"Listen to yourself, Lord Aoshi! Do you think Hannya and the others died protecting you so you could become a demon in Shishio's army of chaos!" she yelled at him and Aoshi felt himself collapse slowly to his knees but even that motion had been out of his control, he knew now that there was no way out of this nightmare!

"Very well then…tell me where Himura is," the demon ordered calmly, switching his tactic and obviously deciding that Misao was now one more obstacle to remove in his quest for vengeance

"Please, Misao! Just leave! Just get away as far away as you can!" he pleaded, but she, like the other participants of this nightmare, continued to ignore his pleas. Horror-struck he watched as Misao switched from her shielding stance to the basic martial arts stance that he taught her

"No! I will never betray a friend! And I can't believe that you would betray your friends just to settle a score!" she countered fiercely, her eyes bright from the tears that coursed down her cheeks marring her usually cheerful and bright beauty. Okina placed a restraining hand on Misao's shoulder.

"Misao, don't! He'll kill you! Get out of the way!" Okina begged but she just shrugged his hand away. She kept her gaze fixed on the demon waiting patiently for her to comply and seemed a bit confused with her choice of response. He had relaxed his fighting stance but Aoshi knew how fast the demon's reflexes were, his precious ninja princess wouldn't last long. He knew that from the previous installments of this nightmare!

"You taught me once that the true strength of the Oniwaban lay in the pride and respect its members felt for one another: WHERE IS THE PRIDE IN THIS!" she threw back at him furiously

"I don't expect you to understand so either tell me where Himura is or move out the way," the demon admonished coldly and calmly. Misao glared back at him

"I won't let you betray the sacrifice that Hannya, Chikijo, Hyottoko and Bessimi made to save your life! I understand you better than you think Lord Aoshi!" she declared calmly than moved faster than Aoshi had ever seen her move!

Her foot connected with the demon's stomach and threw him back against the wall; he was caught completely off guard. He got up quickly looking confused and angry. The demon did not like it when someone got the best of him, even if that someone was a little ninja princess that he had trained! Aoshi watched and couldn't help feeling proud as Misao ducked, weaved and with the skill born of being a great thief, avoided being caught by the demon's long and quick grasp. She was doing far better than she'd ever fared against the demon before even scoring a few hits, and she was unarmed!

From her mouth came all the words that Kenshin had used to snap him back into reality but it was no use. In this nightmare there was nothing of Aoshi in the Demon. Aoshi watched helpless from the sidelines, every word from her digging into his heart like knife. On previous occasions he had been able to participate in this nightmare but only as a replacement for Okina and both Okina and Misao disappeared in those instances. He would battle himself endlessly with neither he nor the demon ever gaining an upper hand, until he woke.

'If only I could take her place!' he thought desperately as the demon's kodachi came so close to her skin that it cut off half of her braid and her dark, lustrous hair suddenly flowed around her. The two of them paused for an instant; a ray of sunlight illuminated her face. Her hair framed her face and the sunlight made an ethereal glow around her; the simple beauty in that moment seemed to make even the demon hesitate.

"Misao, you have fought well however it is useless to resist, tell me where Himura is and I will let you and Okina go," the demon graciously offered. Aoshi looked towards where Okina had fallen. He had tried to help Misao but he had not been as light-footed or lucky as Misao and had quickly met the business end of Aoshi's blade. From where Aoshi was, it didn't look like Okina would be going anywhere except the next world. Misao straightened and looked the demon in the eye

"I refuse! I set out on a journey to find my beloved Lord Aoshi and I will not give up until I bring him back!" Misao stated firmly and before the demon could respond she attacked again much faster this time! Aoshi could feel his heart beating wildly as Misao and the demon resumed their dangerous dance. Again she ducked and weaved around him occasionally catching him by surprise; she was doing so well that for a moment he dared to hope that she would actually win! That hope suddenly grew as he realized that this was exactly why he had returned to the Aoiya. The hope that the love and devotion of the one person who cared about him the most would some day help him defeat the demon inside him

Pride and hope turned suddenly to horror and fear as the demon's foot connected painfully with Misao's stomach and her body slammed into a corner of the hut. She managed to keep herself upright but clutched her side protectively her face twisted in pain. Aoshi screamed and again he resumed his attempt to order the demon to stop. Fear held his heart hostage; he couldn't bear to see her die even if it was just a dream

"Will you cease this futile effort now and help me?" asked the demon calmly. Aoshi couldn't see his face because his back was turned to him but he had a clear view of Misao's face, she was trapped in that corner but there was not a trace of fear on her face. She looked up and there was a glint of mischief in her eyes

"No, this is not a futile effort and yes, I will help you," she replied enigmatically, the demon tilted his head slightly in confusion and slowly Aoshi realized that she had not been looking at the demon; when she said that she had been looking at him! She had directed herself at his kneeling, helpless form.

"No Misao! Get out! Get away from him!" Aoshi yelled desperately now that he knew he had her attention. She just smiled and straightened then looked up at the demon

"Then tell me where Himura is," the demon repeated with single-minded focus. She frowned up at him and shook her head

"No, I'm going to help my beloved Aoshi get rid of you!" she announced defiantly to the bewildered demon. Fear and hope were battling inside him; he desperately hoped that this nightmare would just release him and let him wake up. He screamed in rage and sorrow as the demon assumed the stance for the secret double kodachi technique. Misao was cornered…there was no escape

"STOP! STOP!" Aoshi ordered the demon desperately but the demon continued to ignore him. Just as the demon's six strikes landed something amazing happened:

****

**_MISAO DISAPPEARED! _**

Aoshi stared in amazement and let out a deep sigh of relief as he registered what had happened. One of the most basic ninja skills is the ninja art of substitution in which your opponent is fooled into believing that they are attacking you when in fact they are attacking a dummy made to look like you by means of an illusion. He had taught it to Misao himself long ago and she had been very good at it. At the level that the demon was fighting though he never expected that anyone would ever even consider this very basic and simple trick to be of any use against him but Misao proved him _wrong_.

Aoshi laughed as the demon shredded Misao's jacket and she slithered quickly between his legs and crouched behind him. As his body turned to locate his target who had managed to get the best of him again she kicked out hard and swept his legs out from under him. Because of the angle his body was turned at the time and the nearness of the wall he was unable to attempt rolling off the fall. He tried to catch himself on the wall but Misao sprang up from her crouch and punched in the stomach knocking the air out of him momentarily and he fell flat on his back.

Misao crouched next to him looking winded but triumphant but she was not out of danger yet! The demon recovered incredible fast and was bringing to bear one of his kodachi. Another mysterious ray of sunlight appeared to illuminate her again and he caught a slight glint of metal as her hand slammed against the demon's chest. The demon slumped back down to the ground and his kodachi clattered away from his hands as his grip on them slackened. As Aoshi looked at the demon he realized that the glint of metal had been a kunai. One of Misao's ever-present little knives was now embedded deeply in the demon's chest and his eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling. There was a look of mild surprise frozen on the demon's face.

"Well this was quite an interesting event!" said a familiar male voice next to him

"Yes quite!" agreed a familiar female voice and Aoshi turned to look and to his amazement he found Kate-sensei sipping tea with Okina sitting next to him dressed in his everyday brown kimono with the little pink bow tied on his beard even. The lack of life threatening wounds on Okina and the fact that Mrs. Kate had not been in the country at the time was a stark reminder that this was indeed a dream. They smiled cheerfully at him

"Ah, doesn't she look lovely today!" Mrs. Kate-sensei pointed out cheerfully in that little sing-song tone she used when she was happy. He stared at the two old timers as Okina expressed his agreement.

"Well don't look at us dear! She's a far better subject to stare at!" Kate-sensei teased lightly. Aoshi blinked and looked back towards where Misao had been kneeling next to the vanquished demon. She was no longer kneeling; she was walking towards him now. Aoshi looked up and couldn't help the grin that was suddenly plastered onto his face. She was wearing that blue dress he gave her; the very same dress that had haunted his dreams and caused terminal failure on his attempts at meditating the first few days he got back from the USA. He was so glad he no longer had to hide how much he liked seeing her in that dress.

"It's over now! You don't have to fear him anymore!" she said softly as she knelt in front of him. He reached out to pull her into his lap, grateful that his body obeyed him now and happy that she was safe and unharmed.

"I'm so proud of you! Thank you Misao," Aoshi whispered softly feeling suddenly overwhelmed with joy and love for his precious ninja princess' clever triumph

"Thank me for what? I didn't do this, you did, this is a dream remember! I'm just the embodiment of your hopes and dreams. Up until today you had lost all hope and didn't believe in the future so that's why I always died before," she explained calmly as she snuggled into his embrace

"But I want the future you're offering me so much that it overpowered the demon that remained inside me," Aoshi concluded relieved,

"That's right! Your guilt and sorrow made the demon powerful enough to overcome whatever hopes you still had buried deep in your heart," she added happily he smiled finally understanding why he was having this dream now but as he leaned down to kiss her a hand stopped him

"Dear, we need to go!" Kate-sensei announced as she got up and pulled Misao along with her. He got up in an instant!

"Wait! Go where!" he demanded thinking 'damn it! This dream was just about to get good for once!'

"Oh, there's one more thing you need to do but don't worry I'll be waiting for you!" Misao cheerfully called back to him as she disappeared down a long hallway that half the cabin had suddenly turned into. He made to follow but stopped at the demon's lifeless form and removed the kunai that was embedded in his chest. It came out clean and shiny. He smiled again

"Thanks to this kunai I'll never have to fear harming someone I care about again but I'll keep it close to my heart as a reminder of what I became and the love that redeemed me," he affirmed and as he said those words the demon vanished into a cloud of dust and was carried away by a mysteriously well timed breeze that flowed through the room. He stood up again and watched for a moment as the last dust particles dissipated into the abyss of memory and ran down to the end of the hallway to the door where Misao, Okina and Kate-sensei had disappeared into.

He stopped in front of the door. He knew this door; it had been the entrance to the anteroom of the Oniwaban quarters in Kanryu's estate. He'd seen this door in dreams recently. In fact, he'd seen himself barricading this door as if something horrible was trapped within it

"Correction: the demon had been barricading this door! Barricading it to keep hope from destroying him," he concluded as he pushed through the obstacle free door and walked confidently into the room. It was much like he remembered it. A western style table and chairs sat in the center of the room and large windows on the far side of the room filled it with sunlight; to the left was a large door that led outside to a small private courtyard that they used for practice; on the right was a staircase leading up to their living quarters and to Aoshi's private office

"Finally! I thought you'd never get here!" Hannya greeted cheerfully Aoshi just stared in confusion and wondered out loud what they were all doing there to which Hannya replied non-chalantly that they were waiting for him to arrive.

Hannya, Chikijo, Hyotoko and Bessimi were all there sitting around the table smiling at him in much the same way as they had back then when they were waiting for him to give them their orders. He stepped forward trying to think of how he was going to explain what he'd been doing since they've been gone. But as it turned out he didn't have to, they had been watching him

"We were worried about ya, leader!" Chikijo stated gruffly

"Especially when you joined that Shishio guy!" added Hyotoko frowning

"We almost lost you there! I'm glad Himura kept his promises!" Bessimi put in.

"And wasn't our Little Sun just wonderful!" Hannya gushed. Hannya had always had a very soft spot for Misao and Aoshi smiled as they excitedly began discussing the events of the Shishio incident and how proud they were of the Oniwaban's involvement and their new little leader. Finally, Hannya settled everybody down

"Let's get down to business! We're gathered here to issue congratulations to our leader for finally getting off his duff and moving on with his life as we were all hoping he would!" Hannya announced cheerfully. Cheers erupted in the room

"We're glad that you're finally gonna get to be happy Aoshi!" Hannya declared happily and the boisterous and cheerful agreements of the others made Aoshi smile

"Will you look at that? Our little Sun sure has grown!" Chikijo pointed out suddenly looking at a point somewhere behind Aoshi.

'Boy, this dream gets weirder and weirder!' Aoshi thought as he stared in surprise. Half the room had turned into the gardens at the Aoiya. In it were Kate-sensei and Okina chatting cheerfully on a bench, Kuro and Shiro sat on the stone path playing cards as Omasu and Okon picked flowers from the newly bloomed rose bush and cast glances at Misao then giggled conspiratorially. All this he took in on a quick cursory glance but it was Misao who riveted his attention!

With her arms above her head she pirouetted around the garden, laughing and smiling the blue dress billowing around her as she twirled. He smiled and as he watched, all the activity in the garden suddenly ceased. He heard the scraping sound of chairs on the wooden floor as Hannya and the others rose. He saw out of the corner of his eye as they took their places around him. Hannya was on his right with Bessimi standing in front of him and Chikijo on was his left with Hyotoko standing behind him. Misao had stopped dancing and was watching smiling cheerfully at him as she always did but they were all watching him.

"I have to go now," Aoshi said softly realizing they had stopped because they were waiting for him to join in. He felt reluctant to leave yet he didn't want them to feel that he was abandoning them but he knew that eventually he had to let go and the Aoshi Shinomori that he had been then would finally be dead.

"Don't worry about us leader we won't be far! Besides its ok if the old Aoshi, the one filled with regret and sorrow, will be gone our Little Sun needs the new one more!" Hannya pointed out cheerfully patting him on the shoulder in a brotherly manner. Aoshi shook his head not surprised that Hannya had read his mind as he usually had when he was alive

"I'll miss you," he replied sincerely as he turned to look at them. Chikijo's heavy hand landed on his left shoulder.

"Yeah, we'll miss you too but go on and get out of here already!" Chikijo put in cheerfully giving him a small good-natured little push as he removed his hand

"Yeah, go on get married, make babies, grow old and fat and most of all… be happy!" Hyotoko added merrily

"And while I whole-heartedly agree I personally recommend skipping on the "getting fat" part," Bessimi suggested tossing Hyotoko a dirty look. Aoshi laughed and the others joined him. At Hannya's urging he finally stepped back and gave them one last look, smiled and turned to walk towards the Aoiya.

"Aoshi wait!" called out a familiar voice. Aoshi froze and turned around again quickly

"Lord Makimachi!" he exclaimed at loss for what else to say. The old man was standing in the spot Aoshi had just vacated smiling at Aoshi in that mischievous way that had always been his trademark.

"Here don't forget this…" his mentor said handing Aoshi his original kodachi. Aoshi looked at it confused; he never carried his swords these days because he had resolved not to ever become the demon again. Reluctantly, he reached out to take the sword

"It's all you ever needed to protect her smile! You don't need to fear the demon anymore, remember!" he explained laughing cheerfully. Aoshi smiled and bowed then strapped the sword to his side.

"Hurry up already! Go take care of you're ninja princess!" Lord Makimachi encouraged mirthfully.

"Don't you mean our ninja princess?" Aoshi countered confused after all it was Lord Makimachi who had always called Misao little ninja princess. The old ninja laughed.

"Don't you remember Aoshi? It was you who came up with the nick name!" he said and laughed

"I forgot!" Aoshi exclaimed. On the day Misao was born he had called her that because in his mind Misao's parents were king and queen of the ninjas again he smiled. Takeshi and Aiya Makimachi had been beloved by all in the Oniwaban and both had been deeply mourned when they died. Aoshi had felt their deaths most deeply because they had taken him in and cared for him as if he were there own. He heard his name being called cutting off his reminiscence and looked over his shoulder. Misao was waving him over and calling his name he turned back towards his dead comrades

"Don't worry about these guys! I'll take care of them!" Lord Makimachi assured him, that happy smile still on his face. Realizing that all that needed saying was said he bowed and with one last goodbye he ran towards his ninja princess leaving behind the old Aoshi forever.

He picked up his princess in one quick sweep of his arms and kissed her deeply and after that the dream really did get _good_!

* * *

Well that's it! We all know what happens next: _And they lived happily ever after!_

Well, mostly there's one more adventure coming up and a couple of hurdles for Misao to overcome. Plus, there's still the matter of Aoshi talking to Shuhei and the two of them resolving their little rivalry. There's also the matter of punishing Sutesuke and Kamo so I will be writing one more chapter for this story to wrap up all the loose ends but for all intents and purposes this story is complete!

I will be doing a collection of stories that will be prequels to this one telling stories ranging from when Misao met Mrs. Kate to how her parents died. There might be other half-humorous ones with Kenshin, remember Saito and the Battousai will be attending the same wedding and so will several other wolves! Any suggestions on what you might like to see fleshed out please feel free to let me know.

****

**Autumndays:** When my father died five years ago I had not discovered the existence of but that is not to say that I was ignorant of the existence and the power of fan fiction. The many journals and notebooks in my closet filled with my Star Wars fan fics will attest to the fact that it was fan fiction that helped me float above the ocean of grief that his parting created and while it alone by no means was capable of relieving my grief it did give me a few moments of peace. While my pen was poised above that paper and I thought of only how I was going to rescue Luke Skywalker from _that_ _mess_ I had placed him in I could renew my strength and push forward through another day until one day I wouldn't need it. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet so my beloved husband and my beautiful childgive me a few minutes in the day so I can lose myself either on this screen or in my much loved notebooks. With this said if my humble little story has in some small way contributed a few minutes of peace to you then I am both honored and happy. I hope you continue to enjoy and I look forward to your reviews.

Thank you, for reading and reviewing!


	7. and the rise of the new leader!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi, Star Trek Voyager…or Star Wars. Yes people I said Star Wars now I hope you didn't really expect a Star Wars worshipper like me to not pay homage to George did ya! Well good anyways it's just a small but easily identifiable reference that totally fits and I was so happy I could stick it in here!

**WARNING: **I know you people can smell the lemons! Because this segment is very lemon-scented! There are **NO LEMONS**! But it is lemon-scented! So please if you are offended by such things then close this window right now. As I said in the previous chapter the story is pretty much over I just want to do a little more character development for Misao. So again the end of this chapter is lemon-scented so consider your self warned!

The link below leads to the most awesome RK crossover story I have ever read! It's called "Glint of Amber Stars" Please go and read it!

http/ size=1 width=100% noshade>

**Part 7:** **…and the rise of the new leader of the Oniwaban Clan**

Aoshi woke well before the sunrise and was reluctant to leave his bed. The images from his last dream were still fresh in his mind and he was unwilling to abandon the warmth that they had created. The dream had brought back forgotten memories and he lay there thinking about them specifically the day Megumi Takane had run away from Kanryu's estate. He had returned early from an errand that day and had decided to practice his stealth techniques by sneaking up on the others. He had reached the entrance of their quarters and overheard an interesting conversation.

Hannya had been reporting to the others the status of something they called "The Plan"; a plan which consisted of knocking out Kanryu, taking his money and all his assets and returning to Kyoto to retire. He had been aware of Hannya's plans to stage a coup against Kanryu but during this conversation they were discussing a part of the plan he had not been aware of!

It turned out that the only reason Hannya was holding back on his plans was because they were waiting for Misao to reach marriageable age. Once her eighteenth birthday was near they would destroy Kanryu and all his illegal operations then take Aoshi back to Kyoto so they could all retire and he could marry their little sun. In their esteem there was no other man in the entire world worthy of her! He had been touched by this and remained in his hiding place listening to Hannya saying how she was well on her way to becoming a beautiful and strong woman!

"_Just two more years!_" Hannya had kept repeating excitedly. Apparently Hannya had to curtail one of Misao's recent efforts to find them because she had come way too close and the time was not right for a reunion. He had caught a glimpse of her then and he was very confident that this part of the plan would work because he was certain Aoshi would not be able to resist her. Plus it had been obvious to Hannya by her single-minded obsession with finding them that she still cared deeply about them, especially Aoshi! He was doing a very good job of conveying his excitement to the others.

Aoshi had smiled then one of his rare private smiles and allowed himself the hope that Hannya's Plan would succeed and he hoped Misao really would still care about him when they returned. He had decided then that he would go along willingly with their plans once the time came and do whatever it took to make it up to the little princess for leaving her behind. After all he had also been tired of that empty life and Hannya's plan gave him something to look forward to. He had left his hiding place quietly and let Hannya and the others continue planning privately.

But Fate was a capricious creature and it was later that very same day that Megumi Takane had decided to run away right into the Battousai's grasp. All thoughts and hopes for Hannya's Plan had been forgotten in the wake of the fateful events that were put into motion that day. He wondered whether anyone in the Aoiya had been aware of Hannya's Plan other than Omasu whom he had overheard was their accomplice in Kyoto. He doubted it though or Okina wouldn't have forced all those miai on Misao after her eighteenth birthday. In fact, he was certain Omasu probably gave up on the plan after she heard of Hannya's death and after what happened at the Place of Sight. He himself had forgotten about the plan until today.

'Hannya would be happy!' He smiled; the knowledge that Hannya's plan had come to fruition despite the delay and the different circumstances under which Kanryu was destroyed was comforting. He sighed contently he wanted to share this information with Misao but he knew that it was much too early for him to go to his princess and wake her, after all she hadn't been able to sleep well the night before and they would have a pretty full day today, she needed her rest. So he did something he rarely ever did, he rolled over and went back to sleep…

* * *

Misao knew she was awake, she knew it was morning and she knew where she was even though she refused to open her eyes…

'I am in my room alone and any minute now Okon's gonna be banging on my door telling me to get up! Well not today!' she promised herself firmly

'Today I'm just going to stay in bed!' she asserted. She doubted that even if she wanted she could've been able to move. Last night's dream had been a doozy! The Aoshi in her dream had even played kissing games and teased her in the way lovers do, he had even asked her to marry him! His arms had felt so warm and strong and his lips had been so soft and enticing.

'Damn it all of course they would have to be soft!' she cursed burying herself under her blankets. No, she knew she couldn't face her world this morning. Of course, she knew she would have to; Lord Aoshi would be miserable without his tea and he might want to go to the cemetery since he's off work today and they hadn't had a chance to make a proper visit. She could feign illness and Mrs. Kate would cover for her but she knew Lord Aoshi would worry and that was the last thing she wanted

'Well I could go take out my frustrations on Sutesuke and Kamo,' she wondered and as she contemplated demonstrating her Hiten Mitsurugi enhanced kenpo on those two idiots the prospect of getting up today was a little easier. She figured that at least that part of the dream had been real but she very much doubted that Lord Aoshi had come charging to the rescue! If anything he had probably come and waited by the front door until she was done then they had walked home in silence like always. Her stupidly disappointed girly ridiculous brain had just made up all the other stuff!

'Focus, Misao! You have a mission! Damn you!' she ordered herself sternly. She had long since given up on Lord Aoshi reciprocating any romantic feelings but all the same she had pledged herself to him. If she couldn't make him happy she could at least help him gain some measure of peace by attending to all his needs. She knew that the Aoshi of her childhood memories and the Aoshi that lived here now were two different people and she was mature enough now to know the difference between a girly daydream and reality.

But his pain had touched her heart and she had fallen deeply in love with the broken Aoshi as soon as she had gotten over her childish infatuation of the old one. That was something that she could not deny. If she couldn't rid herself of her feelings in the six months that she sent him away to the USA then she knew that she would always love him. Kaiba had been a convenient excuse to stop all the futile miai and even though it hurt to think that to most men she was just an elusive trophy she knew he would never treat her like that! None of those men had even an inkling of respect for her! That part she was certain she received from him; _he respected her_! And nothing those men offered could be better than that! None of those men would ever listen to her the way he did!

In fact aside from Mrs. Kate he was the only person that would sit patiently and listen to her rant pointlessly. At the very least she knew she had that! Lord Aoshi listened and that was no dream! She knew that he was proud of her…also not a dream. One day she would learn how to put her selfish feelings aside and help him achieve that ever elusive peace. But in the meantime she really had to do something to stop these dreams they were positively crippling! Unable to stop herself she began to cry. Embarrassed and ashamed for her childish tears she bit down on her blanket to keep her sobs from being heard by the others, especially Lord Aoshi…

"_Don't cry leader! Today is not like before!"_ said a ghostly familiar voice and with great reluctance she pushed her blankets back a little and opened her eyes

"Hannya…" she said softly wiping tears away from her face. Yesterday at the base after the incident she had caught a glimpse of a ghost in Shinsengumi attire speaking excitedly to Saito. When she had asked Saito who the ghost was he had introduced the exuberant spirit as Soji Okita and he had explained to her that she had the rare ability to see and speak to ghosts. Saito himself was in fact a shaman, a person capable of connecting this world with the next and it was a secret he only shared with those who had the gift. She didn't doubt that she was seeing Hannya, he had come to her once before. She smiled at him…

"I miss you guys," she said softly her hand instinctively reaching out for him.

"_We missed you too little sun! We're very proud of you! Mr. Okita told us what happened at the base,"_ he replied as he mirrored her gesture _"now get up today is a joyful day!"_

"All right Hannya," she sighed, her limbs felt heavy and her lips felt slightly swollen. Weakly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and gave Hannya a reassuring smile.

"I'm ok Hannya! Go rest, I'm all right," she assured him making the extra effort to smile for him as brightly as she could

"_Yes you will be little sun as soon as you look over there!" _Hannya countered cryptically pointing to something at the foot of her bed. Curiosity overrode her crippling depression temporarily as she moved to look at what Hannya was pointing at. Laid over her open journal was a beautifully made origami flower and she knew that there was only one person in the Aoiya who could work paper this beautifully. Her heart hammered in her chest as she picked up the little paper sculpture and looked down at the journal and realized that there was a short note written in it. The precise strokes of the hand writing were unmistakable, nobody in the Aoiya could write as brilliantly and as neatly as he could! She read the note again and again to make sure she wasn't misreading anything

"Oh Hannya!" she gasped joy choking back any other words she might have wanted to say

'It was real!' the girly voice in her head squealed in delight one hand reached up to touch her swollen lips and she blushed as she recalled the heated kisses that got them that way. She looked up and smiled joyfully at Hannya

"_Be happy little sun!"_ Hannya said simply as he began to disappear

"Wait, Hannya! Don't go yet!" she pleaded there was so much she wanted to say to him.

"_Don't worry little sun we won't be far! Take care of Aoshi; he needs you now more than ever. We're counting on you!"_ he replied, bowed to her and faded away. She smiled

"Leave it to me Hannya! I'll take good care of him!" she whispered fervently. Pure joy washed over her as she read once again what the note said:

_A rose… for my beautiful Princess Misao!_

_Our story begins today._

_Love, Aoshi_

"Yep! No worries! You just leave it to me!" she whispered again to the empty room. She looked out the window up at the sky; a thin golden line far away in the horizon signaled that the sun was just about to rise. She no longer desired to stay in bed she was suddenly anxious for this day to begin, she got up quickly. Carefully she set her little prize on top of her little armoire, put her journal away and quickly tidied up her room. She pulled out the blue kimono that she got for her eighteenth birthday remembering that Aoshi had said the Shinsengumi had invited them to a party this afternoon and she wanted to look her best on her first day as his betrothed.

'I need a quick bath and I have to wash my hair first!' she instructed herself as she rushed down stairs remembering that Aoshi had said he liked running his hands through her hair and with the little incident with Sutesuke yesterday her hair didn't feel clean…

Aoshi woke again with a rush of excitement; he couldn't wait to get this day started. The power he had felt yesterday afternoon after the Shinsengumi party coursed through him again and made him restless. He was anxious to be near his princess again soon! He sat up quickly and rushed through his morning routines. As he went for his bath he realized that someone else had just been there and by the scent of berries left behind he could easily guess who it was! He smiled…

'She's awake…' he told himself as he hurried to get done happily looking forward to having breakfast with his princess. Especially since in addition to her special tea would come his morning kiss and he certainly didn't want to miss that!

'But there are other items on my agenda today!' he thought as he decided he'd wear his ninja uniform for now. First, there was dealing with Sutesuke and his friend; second: he needed to talk to Master Hiko about Misao's martial arts improvements, he didn't like the fact that she thought of herself as the weakest link in the Oniwaban chain and he had an idea about how he was going to prove to her that she was wrong and firmly place her in command of their ninja clan. Third: He wanted to tell Misao about the dream he'd had last night and the memory that surfaced in its wake.

Last but not least was the Shinsengumi party this afternoon and as he headed towards the kitchen where he was certain his princess would be he realized that the three Shinsengumi men had not returned but that came as no surprise. Legend had it that Shinsengumi men were notorious in both their sword skills and their partying stamina! He would have to talk to Shuhei and see where the man would stand now that things had changed. He had proven to be a beneficial friend to the Aoiya and if possible he wanted to avoid harming the relationship that the man had formed with them.

He walked into the kitchen and smiled. Her back was turned to him at first but as he stepped into the kitchen she turned around

"Good Morning _Lord_ Aoshi," she greeted sweetly emphasizing the honorific ever so slightly as she smiled cheerfully and innocently up at him. He smirked in amusement

'So we're still playing this game, eh?' he thought happily willing to oblige as he took the last few steps towards her, sat next her and as he wrapped his arms around her and devoured her in a searing kiss all other concerns were temporarily forgotten.

Misao melted happily into her betrothed's embrace, her ninja senses perked up for a minute as she sensed the approach of the other members of her ninja family. They paused at the entrance of the kitchen but retreated shortly there after and that's how she knew they wouldn't be spying on them today!

* * *

They all returned a few minutes later and found Aoshi and Misao talking quietly their attention riveted on each other rather than on their untouched breakfasts. The usual cheerful chaos quickly ensued as everyone scrambled to get their breakfasts and the morning chores done. Seeing Aoshi in his ninja uniform Okina decided that Kuro and Shiro should wear their uniforms as well for their visit to the Haruno's this morning. Misao frowned

"You guys remember that this is Sakura and Saya's family so you need to go easy on them," Misao admonished worriedly

"Misao, I know you're worried about Sakura but neither her father nor her brother will learn anything if we don't deal with them as we would with any other transgressor," Okina explained patiently and then something strange happened Okon and Omasu paused in their tasks and frowned.

"Yeah it would be like declaring open season on our Okashira!" Kuro added. Aoshi cast a few worried glances to each woman. None of them liked these explanations he turned to signal Shiro to not add fuel to the fire that was brewing in these women but he was too late.

"Uh-huh! It'll invite every punk in the city to just jump in and see if he can get lucky 'cause they'll think they can get away with it!" Shiro put in indignantly. Aoshi shook his head. He knew from his conversation with Kate-sensei yesterday that Misao often dealt with attacks like the one perpetrated by Sutesuke and from the look on Okon and Omasu's face he could tell so did they.

His conversation with his princess last night had yielded the disturbing real reason for Misao's training with Master Hiko. On her way back from an errand after he'd gone to the USA she had run across a couple of guys that she just barely managed to beat and she had gone to Master Hiko because he was the strongest guy she could think of who could help her get stronger fast and would have time to teach her. The reason she had given Kate-sensei was true but it was the second reason and she didn't think she came even close to that goal.

'I have a bad feeling about this…' he thought as Misao and the other two women glared at them

"Yeah and while you're charging in to get revenge for your bruised male egos it'll be Sakura who will have to put up with the reprimands!" Misao shot back. Okina opened his mouth to reassure Misao

"And I know you think you might be able to influence your old friend but your wrong! The second you leave he's gonna lean on Sakura and the next time I go visit her she'll be locked up in her house enduring a long and undeserved grounding!" she spat out before Okina could say anything. In an attempt to restore the peace Aoshi interceded

"Leader, tell us what _you_ would have us do?" Aoshi asked solemnly. Misao smiled at him but she looked troubled

"Kamo…well I don't care how you deal with him but as far as Sutesuke is concerned I can only deal with him as I always do. Until Sakura gains the self-confidence to stand up for her self there is no permanent solution," Misao explained her usual cheer absent replaced by a troubled expression. That was enough for Aoshi to wish Sutesuke a thousand painful deaths but in an effort to be more sensitive to Misao's thoughts and help her establish her authority he kept his anger in check.

"How do you usually deal with him?" he asked trying not to think that there had been other incidents similar to last night's she smiled brightly a touch of mischief making her eyes sparkle again and his jealous rage receded somewhat.

"I beat the crap out of him and his buddies and steal their money!" she replied full of bubbly cheer again eyes sparkling with mischief and Aoshi allowed himself a short chuckle of amusement thinking how Hannya and the others would laugh if they heard this. Okon and Omasu giggled conspiratorially which told Aoshi they probably did the same with their attackers. It made sense, after all, no man cowardly enough to try and press his advantage on a woman would dare to go to the police and admit he was beat up and robbed by a girl!

"Very well if this is how you wish for this situation to be handled then that is how it will be done," he agreed solemnly.

"But perhaps you'll agree to bring Sakura in for training, our martial arts would help in boosting Sakura's confidence," he suggested and she cheerfully agreed adding that she had taught her a little but perhaps if he taught her she'd do better.

"Very well," he agreed grimly. He wasn't satisfied with it but that was just the offended boyfriend part of him that didn't like this ruling and he would discuss that with his betrothed in private. Right now she was the leader and he would follow his leader's instructions whether he liked it or not he would not challenge her authority in front of the others. Judging by the sparkle in her smile he knew that this was just the right attitude to take. However, the frowns on Okina and the other two told him they hadn't gotten the message

"Still Misao we must do something we can't just let this insult pass!" Okina interjected refusing to back down Kuro and Shiro nodded in agreement. All three women rolled their eyes and threw their hands up in exasperation.

"You know to hear you three you'd think that kind of stuff never happens to us!" Omasu retorted

"Yeah, what's with all the righteous indignation all of a sudden?" Okon asked irritated "at least Aoshi gets it!" she added pointing at him with her thumb. The other two women nodded their agreement solemnly. Aoshi intervened again

"Okina, transgressions like the one perpetrated by Sutesuke are not uncommon for Misao, Okon and Omasu to deal with. As it was pointed out to me yesterday women with no fathers or husbands are often considered prey for uncivilized men who allow their baser instincts to take hold of them. To Misao, Okon and Omasu it seems hypocritical for us to interfere now since we have never done it before," Aoshi lectured calmly, Misao gazed at him adoringly and the other two smiled approvingly. The men just stared at him dumbfounded.

"So in lieu of our neglect they use such instances as a way to test their strength and practice their martial arts," he concluded calmly realizing as he did that the girls spent more time in the training room then any of the guys including him. They scratched their heads and looked away remorsefully this new information forcing them to re-evaluate the situation. He calmly sipped his tea and glanced next to him where Misao was sitting and there was a blazing look in her eyes that caught him by surprise. He suddenly wished there weren't quite so many people in the kitchen. His wish was granted as everyone suddenly got up and went back to their duties. They all filed out and the kitchen was suddenly very quiet.

He had just finished his tea and put his cup down when suddenly he was attacked! Misao's arms wrapped around his neck and he had barely enough time to put his hand behind him to keep him self from slamming down to the floor from the force of her display of affection. His lips automatically responded to her "assault" and he adjusted his position so he could bring both his arms around her.

"Thank you for agreeing with me! I know you're not happy with what I'm asking," Misao whispered dreamily as she cuddled up against his chest it had become her favorite spot.

"No I'm not happy. Misao I will not challenge your authority in front of the others but I can't help how I feel," he began seriously

"I can't forgive myself for letting this situation go on for as long as it has but I intend to make it clear from now on to every man in this town that further transgressions against any of the women in this house, _especially you_, will not be tolerated," he stated gravely. She giggled and he looked down at her puzzled by this reaction

"Mrs. Kate told me last night that you would say something like that!" she explained her eyes sparkling with amusement

"Ah," was his simple reply it didn't surprise him that Kate-sensei would make such an accurate guess. In fact nothing she said surprised him anymore

"She said that because you're a guy you would be angry with any guy trying to help him self to what's yours!" she clarified and giggled

"And she is quite correct. I'm as jealous and selfish as any other man and I will not allow anyone to even _think_ that I will share you!" he declared in that purring tone that made her insides twist in a knot of excitement and of course he followed it up with one of those blazing kisses that she was certain would never stop making her weak at the knees. Breathlessly they parted from their kiss and Aoshi suggested that if she was going to take the matter into her own hands she had to at least let him come along to watch. She happily agreed and they were about to resume their kissing when Okina's hurried steps heading back towards the kitchen interrupted them.

Aoshi helped her up and together they began to clean up the kitchen. Okina arrived then looking slightly worried

"What is it Gramps?" Misao asked puzzled by Okina's worried look

"A servant from the Haruno's just arrived he brought this message for you Aoshi!" he announced seriously. Surprised, Aoshi took the letter Okina was carrying explaining to Misao that the servant looked pretty freaked out and was waiting outside for Aoshi's reply. When questioned, the man just would not say what was going on.

"What does it say?" Misao asked worriedly as Aoshi frowned while he read the short note

"It's from Sakura and she wants me to come to her house as soon as I can," he replied handing the note to her. She quickly read it

"Please go now Aoshi! Take Kuro and Shiro with you!" she said her concern for her friend plain to see. Aoshi reached down and gave her a light kiss assuring her that everything would be alright. He rushed out of the kitchen and called for Kuro and Shiro. The servant was told that they would go on ahead of him. Ninjas can travel faster then the average Joe after all!

Misao watched them go and resisted the urge to fidget and whine instructing her self that it would be unbecoming of a leader to do so especially after Aoshi was making such efforts to help her establish her authority within the Oniwaban. From the corner of her eye she noticed that Okina was watching her as though he was waiting to see what she would do.

"We'll wait for them to return and go from there," she declared confidently turning to smile up at him. He smiled back

"Ok…" he replied sadly. She looked up at him puzzled

"What's the matter Gramps?" she asked worriedly and he smiled

"Children grow so fast, if you blink you miss it!" he replied enigmatically patting her on the shoulder

"Cherish every moment Misao…" he added wistfully. She smiled brightly up at him and hugged him

"I always do Gramps!" she announced happily. Omasu and Okon joined them at the door for a moment and Misao fended off Okon's attempts to coif her hair in some elaborate style and Omasu's insistence in trying to get her to wear makeup by telling them Aoshi preferred her usual style of keeping her hair loose and face clean. They demanded that Misao give them details about what had happened last night. Misao teased them by telling them that they didn't have quite the attention span required to listen to one of her stories.

Finally they begged and pleaded so much that she caved and Misao blissfully recounted what had happened by the side of the river on the way back from the party last night. To her happy surprise by the time she was done she realized they had actually been listening the _whole_ time! Misao knew from that day her life would not be the same, a little part of her regretted the end of the carefree days of Misao Makimachi but she looked forward to the challenges and rewards of being Mrs. Misao Shinomori leader of the Oniwaban group of ninjas…

* * *

The three set out for the Haruno's taking the short cuts that only ninja agility allowed the three men of the Aoiya to take. Aoshi glanced behind him and was pleased to see Kuro and Shiro keeping pace with him though it looked like it was a great effort for them to do so. He stopped a few meters away from the front gate to allow his companions to catch their breath. He suggested that if they were going to keep up with the girls they ought to step up their training; especially if they were going to be more chivalrous with them. Breathlessly they agreed and straightened up as they walked towards the Haruno's.

As they walked into the courtyard a strange sight greeted them. Sitting in the entrance was Naruto in a cozy slightly intimate position with Saya who blushed and giggled happily at whatever it was he was whispering in her ear. Sasuke and Sakura were nowhere to be seen.

"Good Morning Lord Aoshi!" he greeted cheerfully. Aoshi gave him a perplexed look as he returned the greeting

"Good Morning Naruto, what's going on?" Aoshi asked. Naruto just smiled happily and Aoshi marveled at how much he and Misao were alike. Naruto cheerfully pointed him in the direction of the storage shed in the back. Aoshi nodded and walked away

"Ok, that was different," Shiro said softly

"Yeah, I thought Naruto had a crush on Sakura, what's going on?" Kuro added. Aoshi shrugged

"I suspect we'll find out as soon as we get to the storage shed," Aoshi guessed as the small building came into view. Sasuke was standing outside it pacing back and forth just a few feet away from the door. He stopped and looked up as the three men approached. To Aoshi's surprise he looked both confused and excited for a moment and it looked like it took him a considerable amount of effort to school his face back into his usual stoic expression. He turned to knock on the door as Aoshi and the others stopped and greeted him. He was about to ask what was going on when the large door swung open and Sakura stepped out.

"Oh! Good Morning Lord Aoshi! Shiro, Kuro Good morning to you too! Thank you for coming so quickly!" Sakura greeted cheerfully as she stepped out to greet them. Aoshi blinked in surprise and returned the greeting cautiously. The girl before him sounded just like Sakura but she sure didn't look like her! Her long hair had been cut to shoulder length and held back away from her face with a simple strip of black cloth.

"Please come with me!" Sakura requested cheerfully and walked back towards the shed. Instead of her usual expensive and beautiful kimonos she was wearing a simple ninja outfit that Aoshi recognized as one of Misao's uniforms. He reasoned Misao must've given it to her when she began teaching her martial arts. In her hands was a shinai and to the three Oniwaban men's further shock she turned and ordered Sasuke to go and tell her father that he could go on his errand now then stepped back inside the shed. Sasuke blinked in surprise but said nothing and ran back in the house to follow her command. Aoshi opened his mouth to ask her what was going on but stopped. The sight that greeted him was quite a shock!

"Whoa!" Kuro whispered in awe as they took in the sight. Sutesuke and Kamo's arms were tied to their sides by a rope coiled secure around their torsos. The end of said rope extended up toward the ceiling where it went over a large beam in the center of the ceiling and back down where the ends were tied to a couple of hooks on the back of the room. Sutesuke and Kamo were hanging in the center of the room and at the moment it looked like they were asleep.

"This is even better than what we were planning," Shiro commented sounding impressed and from the corner of his eye Aoshi saw Kuro nod slowly in agreement. The room looked like it had just been cleaned but there was a distinct scent of bile and urine that clung to the room. It wasn't difficult to see that the smell was coming from the two men swinging in the middle of the room. Sakura put her shinai down; picked up a bucket of water; stepped forward and threw the water in their faces yelling at them to wake up. They woke with a start and began begging desperately for Sakura to let them down.

"SHUT UP YOU WORTHLESS RATS!" she yelled in reply and both men immediately complied sniveling pitifully

"Sakura, why did you call me here?" Aoshi asked still feeling a little shocked on how the usually demure and elegant Sakura had reduced her brother and his friend to a pathetic whimpering mess.

'Misao taught her well!' he thought surprised, he couldn't wait to tell Misao. Sakura turned to him with fists on her hips and a serious look on her face.

"Listen, Lord Aoshi I called you here because I wanted to explain to you about last night! Misao has worked very hard to gain your respect and I'm not going to let my pathetic waste of a brother damage what she worked so hard to achieve!" she declared confidently. Aoshi blinked in surprise and he almost smiled but his smiles were reserved for his ninja princess. He was glad Misao had friends like Sakura

"I know that, Sakura. Misao and I had a long conversation about our feelings last night and believe me I know how strong Misao is because I trained her and I know she holds back with your brother for your sake and that only increases my respect and admiration of her," he reassured her. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed somewhat

"Well then while we're on the subject of feelings I'm gonna ask you straight out! She told me last night that you love her like a little sister but I've known her long enough to know this does _not_ make her happy! So, I need to know if that's how it really is and if so than I need to know how we can change that," she ordered him. The direct tone in her voice and the hard look on her face demanded a straight answer. Yes, he was indeed glad Misao had friends like her!

"I am honored that my leader has such a loyal friend like you Sakura. So I'm glad that you will be the first of her friends to know this: Yes, I do love her and no, not like a little sister. In one month's time she and I will be married and we will be honored if you would join us in our celebration," he answered seriously. Sakura just stared for a moment and then squealed in girly delight.

"Yay! Yay! YAAAAY! Hear that you worthless rat!" she exclaimed happily turning to whack her brother on the leg with the back of her hand he just whimpered miserably and Aoshi's highly trained ears caught a frightened whisper of congratulations from him. She jumped around whooping with delight. Naruto and Saya came into the room then asking what was going on and Sakura happily told them the good news and the two joined Sakura in her impromptu celebration. Shiro and Kuro laughed happily.

"Hey! We should all go to the Aoiya and congratulate her!" Naruto suggested and Saya smiled in agreement but Sakura frowned

"Ugh! I can't Kamo's dad wants him to hang there until sunset!" Sakura informed him whacking Kamo absently with her shinai

"Who's going to watch these worms while I'm gone?" she informed him. Kamo's father had gleefully gone along with Sakura's chosen punishment once she told him what had happened. Misao's translation services and foreign contacts had saved the textile business owned by Kamo's family from ruin and he was more than happy to show his respect towards her by approving Sakura's judgment. In fact the man was busy at home preparing a gift along with a sincere apology to be delivered to the Aoiya this morning. This is what Sakura's father was doing as well at this very moment as a matter of fact!

"We'll stay!" Shiro offered cheerfully

"Yeah! No problem! You can go and visit with Leader for however long you want!" Kuro added gleefully looking forward to watching Sutesuke and Kamo suffer, the two men cringed and whimpered pitifully in response. Again Sakura whooped joyfully and handed Shiro her shinai.

"What about you Aoshi? You gonna go back or stay?" Shiro asked. Aoshi thought about it for a moment and stepped forward. The two men hanging in the middle of the room cringed and whimpered fearfully at Aoshi's approach. Without the inebriating effects of the Sake they were painfully aware of the damage Aoshi could rightfully inflict on them. He leveled them both with a thunderous glare his hands reached out for Sutesuke and Kamo's throats

"Sutesuke, Kamo! I want you to know that I don't easily forgive the liberty you took with my future wife. Be aware that Sakura has saved you from far worse retribution in my hands. You would do well to remember this because next time I will not be so forgiving!" he warned grimly and squeezed their throats ever so slightly just to let them know what would happen to them if they strayed again. The two captives whimpered and begged for forgiveness. Aoshi released them and turned away from them

"No, I won't stay here I'm satisfied with what Sakura has done and I'm sure Misao will be too," he replied to Shiro then turned to Sakura

"I will go back to the Aoiya with you," he informed her seriously. She smiled and asked him to wait while she changed and instructed the servants to bring Shiro and Kuro anything they needed and to not listen to anything her brother and his friend said "or else!" she warned and ran out of the room . Saya followed her back into the house leaving the men in the storage shed to pick on Sakura's prisoners…

* * *

Once back at the Aoiya Aoshi found that Mr. Haruno and Mr. Yamanaka (Kamo's father) were still there. Misao had already spoken with them and they were now in Okina's study talking and having tea with Kate-sensei and Master Hiko. Omasu had brought out the bridal kimono telling Misao that Hannya and the others had sent it with the hopes that she would wear it on her wedding day and she excitedly showed it to her girl friends. The boys were excluded from the "girly" show and tell!

Misao informed him that the three Shinsengumi men staying at the Aoiya had returned almost as soon as he'd left but after a quick and light breakfast they had taken baths and collapsed into their beds, so he resigned himself to waiting until the afternoon to talk to Shuhei. After a _warm _welcome from his princess he decided he'd go to the kitchen with Naruto in search of Sasuke and some tea.

They found Sasuke sitting in the kitchen alone. That confused-excited look on his face again and an untouched cup of tea in his hands that looked like it had long since gone cold. He spoke very little as Aoshi and Naruto talked, Aoshi let him be, something was weighing heavily in his mind and Aoshi guessed it was most likely Sakura or rather the sudden shift in her behavior. Naruto was so happy he could barely contain himself! He happily explained the circumstances under which he and Saya had gotten engaged nearly six months ago. Aoshi found it amazing how much he and Misao were alike.

Once the three Shinsengumi men were awake they invited everyone to the party. Okina and the other elders respectfully declined, Okon and Omasu decided to stay with Master Hiko and Aoshi finally got a chance to talk to Shuhei privately. Shuhei was not at all surprised by what Aoshi told him and he did request that Aoshi – if possible – not tell Misao what he had told Aoshi because he was sincere when he said that just her friendship was worth the time and effort and he didn't want to jeopardize that. Aoshi was impressed by the man's ability to lose graciously it was more than he could say for himself.

The girls cooked a large batch of chirashi sushi for the party and Aoshi and the other men carried large jugs of Sake from the Aoiya's stores and some of the jars of soy sauce provided by Sakura's father and had a grand time in Mibu with the other wolves. Those wolves of course had no trouble adding Misao and Aoshi's engagement to their list of things to celebrate. Shuhei explained to him that to a Shinsengumi wolf any excuse is a good excuse to party! Once Sutesuke and Kamo were released from their confinement Kuro and Shiro joined them too.

And it was a sign of the times that despite Naruto being the son of a Choshu clansman who was killed by the Shinsengumi during the Ikeda-ya incident was welcomed warmly by the old wolves. Naruto on his part harbored absolutely no ill will and enjoyed himself thoroughly! When Harada had asked him why Naruto had cheerfully explained that this was the Meiji era and that there is no room for hate when you're trying to build a new world. From then on the remaining wolves cared for Naruto as if he were one of their own.

Naruto's carefree attitude didn't surprise Aoshi at all, he was very much like Misao and just like she didn't hate Kenshin for defending himself and doing his duty Naruto didn't hate the wolves for doing theirs. But what did surprise Aoshi was the wolves' main reason for getting together. The celebration was in honor of Saito! Harada had said it was because he continued to carry the flag! It sure did surprise the hell out of Saito! Ogata had in fact made a speech recounting the day Saito had pledged that he would continue to carry the flag and live by the ideals of the Shinsengumi no matter what. Saito had looked ready to kill but Aoshi and the other wolves knew it was mostly out of embarrassment. Saito had never liked attracting attention after all!

Shuhei asked him and Misao for help in re-acquiring his family's dojo. The current owners wanted to charge him three times what it was worth on account of him being the only Tani still around and that he was the Kondo heir. Misao outraged by this prejudice immediately offered her assistance. No surprise there! He wanted it for sentimental as well as practical reasons. He could use it to establish a permanent base for his export company in Kyoto.

He also wanted to lure his brother Mantaro out of hiding; he explained he hadn't seen his brother since he escaped from the Shinsengumi over thirteen years ago. The strict laws of the Shinsengumi demanded seppuku from anyone trying to leave the group without permission thus his eldest brother Sanjaro had been killed while trying to escape and his middle brother Mantaro had disappeared. The laws of the Shinsengumi had long ceased to apply and he hoped that by again owning his family's dojo he could reunite with his brother.

Shuhei was the youngest of his brothers and he had stayed behind in the Shinsengumi because he had truly believed in Bureau Chief Kondo and wanted to be a worthy heir to his name. He returned to Tokyo the next day inviting him and Misao to stop by the Shieikan and meet his mother Tsune and his little sister Tama. Misao of course had happily agreed and Shuhei extended the invitation to the Himuras. Kaoru had always been welcome as an assistant instructor at the Kondo dojo but hadn't been seen very often since she got married.

And that was just one of the many interesting things that he learned that day about them. Those who survived didn't mind sharing stories about the Shinsengumi with those who asked. They were more than happy to answer Misao's questions and Misao loved sharing with them what she knew about the Battousai. Of course, they didn't call him _that_ around Saito because he was just not happy with Kenshin being called by that name!

* * *

Later that night Aoshi and Misao were again cozied up in her room looking up at the stars. His ninja princess surprised him yet again with the intensity of her kisses. Her willingness and trust made for a great test of his self control! The day had been full of surprises and happy news. He told her then about the dream he had last night and the memory it had dredged and that's when he made the most interesting discovery!

"So that's why he came to me this morning…" Misao said softly

"Who Misao?" he asked truly perplexed by this answer

"Hannya," she answered simply. For an instant he thought she was joking but the serious look on her face told him otherwise.

"Misao, how is that possible?" he asked cautiously his mind telling him that this statement couldn't be possible and yet at the same time his heart wanted desperately to believe that she could communicate with Hannya somehow beyond the mortal veil.

"I know it's hard to believe but Saito told me yesterday that I'm a medium. I can see and talk with ghosts! I even met Mr. Okita! He follows Saito around a lot," she explained cheerfully

"Saito in fact is a full-fledged shaman! He doesn't just see them he can actually physically interact with them! Pretty cool, huh?" she added cheerfully. Aoshi just stared in astonishment and nodded slowly his brain kept telling him it wasn't possible but his heart had already accepted it.

"What did he say?" he asked softly dismissing his mind's complaints that it was not possible to see the dead…much less talk to them. He had after all had his own mystical encounter yesterday when he had heard his Master's laughter. He smiled

"He said: _"Be happy little sun"_ He asked me to take care of you and told me they wouldn't too far away!" she replied gently and looked up and returned his wistful smile with one of her own bright ones. He held her tight against his chest

"You have done an awesome job of taking care of me. I think it's my turn now to take care of you!" he countered fervently. She giggled happily. He loved hearing the sound of her laughter

"How about this: We take care of each other!" she suggested cheerfully. He laughed

"Sounds good!" he agreed and kissed her lightly

"I think Hannya would like that," he added feeling like he was finally beginning to live again. She smiled and pulled him into a deeper kiss…

* * *

The next day before Master Hiko left he talked to him about Misao's new martial arts. When asked how strong she had become Master Hiko had merely smirked mysteriously and said that if she had been his student instead if his "idiot apprentice" Kenshin he wouldn't have to worry about the future of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. Aoshi had swelled with pride at Master Hiko's compliment and asked him if he could come back in two days to oversee a test. Master Hiko agreed…

The ministry gave him a couple of days off to get ready for the trip to Tokyo and he made good use of them. Misao for her part was more than happy to go to Tokyo with him so she could visit with Kaoru and Kenshin and deliver the news in person. She wrote a letter to Megumi that was carried by Kate-sensei to Aizu who happily agreed to be the bearer of good news. The day before they left on their pre-wedding side trip to Tokyo Master Hiko returned and Aoshi gathered everyone in the training hall asking them to wear their ninja uniforms.

Okina figured out what Aoshi intended to do and declined his participation in the exercise

"Okina, I need everyone to participate otherwise this won't work," Aoshi reasoned calmly trying to talk Okina into joining them. Okina laughed merrily and shook his head

"Oh, that won't be necessary Aoshi! You defeated me already so as long as you participate you can represent us both! It'll work just fine don't worry," he explained smiling mischievously

"But I do look forward to watching! Ah, Mrs. Kate there you are!" he added turning way from Aoshi and skipping towards the old foreign woman who smiled and handed him a cup of tea from a small tray she was carrying. They headed to the training hall together chatting amicably. It amazed Aoshi how quickly Okina turned into an excited love-struck teenager when in the presence of his teacher. He shook his head and followed; even more amazing was Kate-sensei's ability to fend off an advance before it actually became one! He wondered for a moment what she must've been like when she was young.

'Bet she would've made a great ninja,' he thought as he walked into the hall to find everyone else already there waiting for them. Mrs. Kate and Okina went to sit with Master Hiko, who was being fawned over by Okon. His princess hopped up from the spot where she was sitting with Omasu and the guys and skipped over to him.

"So are you gonna tell us what's going on?" she asked sweetly taking his larger hand into both of her small hands. For a moment he doubted him self and wondered if this was a good idea after all. Master Hiko sensing Aoshi's doubt spoke up

"Come on Shinomori! I don't have all day!" he called out testily. He nodded solemnly and shook away his doubts

'Kenshin had been just as small after all!' he told himself sternly; Kate-sensei had told him once that an old teacher of hers had once taught her that _'Size matters not!'_ and in Kenshin's case that had definitely been true. He hoped that with this exercise he would be able to pass that wisdom to his princess. The idea was to pit all the active members of the Oniwaban in a four-to-one battle against Misao.

The last one standing would then challenge Aoshi to a one-on-one fight and he was sure that it would be his princess. The succession gauntlet wasn't a commonly used practice for ascension to Okashira and normally only involved the top ranking ninjas. When an Okashira is chosen under unusual circumstances it was a good and quick way to demonstrate to all the top ninjas in the clan _who_ was suited for the position. In Aoshi's case because he was so young it had served to gain the confidence of the highest ranked ninjas that wondered whether Aoshi was really up to the task. In Misao's case he hoped to provide her with proof that she was _not_ the weakest link in the chain.

The other difference was that in his case he had not been able to challenge Misao's grandfather (Aoshi's predecessor) because he had died on a secret assassination mission and Okina had been named Okashira of the chapter in Kyoto several years before and was not in Edo to be challenged in Lord Makimachi's place. He had won every battle of course but he'd always felt frustrated that he could never challenge his mentor and fighting with Okina at the Place of Sight had left him just as empty despite his victory.

'I should've done this a long time ago!' he scolded himself. He was glad though that Misao would get a chance to challenge him and ascend to the rank properly. Hiko stood and gathered all the ninjas to him

"All right! It's simple!" Master Hiko began giving each ninja a hard look

"You four will fight Makimachi!" Hiko instructed directing himself to Okon, Omasu, Shiro and Kuro.

"Hey this is a succession gauntlet, isn't it?" Shiro piped up worriedly obviously not liking the idea of subjecting Misao to such a harsh initiation. His protective big brother instincts were echoed by Kuro

"Yes it is! And if I catch even one of you holding back you'll have to fight _me_!" Hiko warned giving Shiro and Kuro a hard glare. The two men shrunk away embarrassedly they had been thinking exactly that. A quick glance at Aoshi who was glaring at them from behind Master Hiko and they could tell same went for him.

"That goes double for you Makimachi," he advised her sternly. She smiled nervously at him as she piped up her agreement as he turned and went to sit by the wall with Okina and Kate-sensei. She glanced up at Aoshi and he answered her nervous smile with a proud smile. She pursed her lip nervously and he leaned down to give her quick light kiss then stepped aside so the combatants could take their places.

With glowing pride he watched as she ducked, weaved, kicked and punched all the while staying well out of Kuro and Shiro's grasp who had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the fight rather than face retribution from Master Hiko or worse Aoshi! Aoshi decided that he would have to step up Kuro and Shiro's training if they meant to keep up! Okon and Omasu were far more dangerous opponents however. After only a few seconds they all realized that Misao wasn't going down that easy and that they would have to work together if they were going to last long; but despite their concerted efforts Kuro and Shiro were soon eliminated.

That feeling Aoshi had gotten when he learned that the Battousai still lived fluttered in his chest again making his heart beat wildly. The girls did much better but Aoshi could tell that both Okon and Omasu would soon be out of the game. His princess was doing oh so much better than he'd even dreamed! She had greater focus and control over her emotions in battle these days. She could see where the attacks would be coming from and sneak past any defense. It was no wonder Saito had been so impressed! She was fast!

'Like a good thief! Hannya would be proud,' Aoshi thought as that power coursed through him again making him anxious for his turn. He deeply regretted not being involved with her training these past three years. Fascinated, he watched as Misao landed a kick on Omasu's stomach that sent her flying towards the wall and slamming at full force at the same time she dodged a kick from Okon, crouched and swept Okon's legs out from under her. Okon managed to roll out of the fall but as she came up Misao's foot connected with her head painfully and she went down.

Misao maintained her stance for a moment scanning the room quickly looking to see where the next strike was coming from; but it quickly became evident to her that her four comrades were out of the fight. Mrs. Kate had already moved Kuro and Shiro out of the way and examined them and now she was examining Omasu who was holding her stomach and groaning. Okon moaned slightly and held her head as Hiko declared the match over. Misao hurried towards Okon profusely apologizing for hitting her as hard as she had as she helped her sit up.

"Okon, are you going to be ok?" Misao asked looking a little guilty. Okon just smiled and hugged her assuring her that she would be ok. Hiko stepped over to where Okon had fallen and helped the young woman up.

"Well done Makimachi! Get ready! You have one more contender to deal with!" Hiko instructed gruffly as he pulled Okon away from the center of the training hall to give room to the next two combatants. Misao stood up and looked around. Aoshi stood at the end of the room. He looked relaxed as he patiently waited for her to be ready. She dusted herself off a bit and assumed her usual fighting stance and Aoshi mirrored it. She swallowed hard as she saw a change suddenly come over Aoshi. His usually bland expression was altered by the slightly predatory look in his eyes and a tiny smirk that looked almost feral.

'Oh boy! How in the world did I get him to do that?' Misao wondered feeling both giddy and excited. Hiko signaled the beginning of their bout and at first it was all Misao could do to keep out of his reach and keep that smirk from distracting her. Occasionally he would leave her openings in which she thought she could get a hit in but as she took the first one and barely blocked a hidden punch she realized they were traps. She ducked, weaved and skittered out of his reach wondering how in the world she would create her own opening. Then it hit her…

Aoshi's heart beat wildly with excitement. His princess was doing an awesome job of keeping out of his reach! As their battle went on he finally realized that no sooner had he gotten rid of one demon than a new one had taken its place. He deduced that the power he had felt since that fateful party with the Mibu wolves at the Otafuku was merely the birth of the new demon. One whose goal was to possess his princess completely and share her with no one! This was the demon that had responded to Sutesuke and Kamo's disrespect and made it increasingly difficult to restrain him self during their evening conversations. This demon was potentially more dangerous but as long as Misao continued to be only for him it could be easily controlled.

He occasionally would leave her an opening to see if she would take his bait and come within his reach. She did once but as she managed to dodge his hidden hit the demon growled happily. He knew she wouldn't fall for that a second time! Suddenly the bout wasn't about seeing how far Misao had advanced in her martial arts training, for him it had become a race to catch his little thief and make her _his_! His speed increased to match hers but like a good little thief she kept slipping out his grasp until finally she was cornered. The new demon growled happily and reached out to take his princess. But as his hand reached to touch her she disappeared!

'Damn it!' he cursed silently and turned as quickly as he could. This trick had been used against him already by the Misao in his dream and he scolded himself for not being ready for it! The ninja art of substitution would definitely help her escape from his grasp if he didn't move quickly! Too late did he realize that the trick had been used to cause a simple distraction because as he turned he realized she was not there! Misao had hardly moved from her spot and she was now behind him…

Misao could scarcely believe her luck! She had successfully pulled off her bluff and Aoshi had fallen for it! The idea had been to trick Aoshi into thinking she was cornered and using the substitution trick to slip away from him but it was merely a ruse to get him to turn around and leave himself open for her assault. He barely managed to turn slightly and shield his ribs from her kick. Because he was so much bigger than her she decided instantly that even if she put all her strength in the kick she probably wouldn't hurt him so she really let him have it!

She watched in amazement as Aoshi hit the ground hard and rolled back up to his feet. She hadn't thought she hit him that hard! He assumed a low almost crouching stance; his eyes blazed with that light she'd seen the night he'd first told her he loved her. She froze in her spot as he smiled that feral smile again. Misao wondered if it was that strange look and smile or the exhaustion of the back to back fights that was making her knees weak.

'Maybe it's both!' she thought excitedly feeling like her heart was beating so wildly it was careening out of control! She was vaguely aware of Master Hiko declaring the match to be over and the victory to be Misao's because she scored the first clean hit. His eyes pinned her to her spot and it was only this last bit of information that snapped her out of his hypnotic hold for a moment.

"But…" she began to protest

"We're not done yet…" Aoshi interjected in his trademark calm serious tone. Inside him the demon roared desperate to be released so he could claim her

"I'm not going to sit here all day waiting for you two to finish chasing each other around the training hall! I have better things to do with my time!" Master Hiko gruffly countered cutting them off and in one fluid motion he was on his feet and pulled Okon up with him. Suddenly everyone seemed to have somewhere else to be!

"If you want to keep at it…by all means don't let me stop you!" he called back as he walked out with everyone else. Mrs. Kate was the last one to leave and she left without saying a word sliding closed the doors as she left tossing Misao a quick wink and mischievous smile. Misao looked back to where Aoshi was and was not surprised to see him still smirking mysteriously at her.

"Shall we?" Aoshi purred seductively and she blushed prettily making the new demon purr contentedly

"Umm…" she found her throat constricted for a moment then remembered what Mrs. Kate had said yesterday: '…_it won't be long before he makes an effective demonstration!_' she giggled and blushed

"Ok!" she agreed cheerfully "but only if you can catch me!" she teased. This comment caught him off guard and he blinked in surprise. Misao was letting him know she had guessed his intention and given her consent. He suppressed the growl building in his throat preferring to use all his energy to catch the little thief of his heart! She squealed in delight and jumped out of the way as he launched himself forward. He growled happily and this time he moved so fast she was unable to escape.

In the blink of an eye she was pinned to the wall! His arms cushioned her as his lips assaulted her. She didn't resist as she felt herself lowered gently towards the ground and Aoshi's hands and lips roamed freely. She uttered a soft whimper of disappointment as he stopped. One ray of reason penetrated the fog of desire that had all but obliterated his judgment: The floor of the training hall wasn't the best place for his princess' initiation! She hugged him and let him know that she understood and appreciated his consideration.

There was no doubt in his (or anyone else in the Aoiya's) mind that she was well experienced and capable of command of the Oniwaban but it was obvious to him that in the mysteries of men and women she was a novice. A situation that suited him just fine! He couldn't stomach the idea of anyone else but him touching his princess. But he was a perfectionist by nature and wanted to do things right! Everyone was surprised to see them emerge so soon from the training hall. Okina in fact looked disappointed but Kate-sensei nodded approvingly.

'Best to wait when there aren't any witnesses,' he thought unwilling to share such an intimate moment as his princess' _initiation_ with anyone though he resigned himself to the reality that Misao would go straight to Kate-sensei. She was the closest any of the women in the Aoiya had to a mother and she had proven to be very good at keeping secrets. And Aoshi was sure she would need female advice in these matters anyway.

'I can wait,' he added to himself as Misao handed him a cup of tea, ignored the demon's unhappy growl and listened contentedly as everyone offered their compliments on her dramatic martial arts improvements. He rolled his eyes as Okon and Omasu handed all the credit to Master Hiko and fawned endlessly over him. Misao just giggled mischievously and curled up against Aoshi

Sakura and Saya arrived again that afternoon. Saya and Misao had insisted on having a double wedding. It made practical sense to Aoshi to have just one celebration since they all had the same friends. So the plan would be to close the Aoiya down for the day of the festivities and the day after. So Saya and Sakura spent a lot of time at the Aoiya helping with the plans for the celebration.

But he should've known that his princess wouldn't leave well enough alone! Very late that night after everyone (including himself!) had gone to sleep Misao sneaked out of her room. He woke with a start! He hadn't sensed her presence until she was almost right at his door! The demon inside him awoke and growled in surprise and joyful anticipation. He absolutely loved it when she did something to demonstrate how good a ninja she'd become! He sat up and moved quietly towards the door. She slid the door open quietly but started in surprise as she realized he was already awake. With feline grace he moved towards her and pulled her into his room closing the door behind him.

'Perfect!' the new demon thought happily as he carried his bride back to his bed. The wind blew fiercely outside but its direction would carry sound away from the main house. The fact that his room was so far away ensured that no one but the two of them would be witness to the important event taking place in his room. At this hour no one would be awake so they took their time and he relished every gasp and pleasured moan that he elicited from her as he made Misao his wife…

* * *

Ok people I did say it would be lemon-scented didn't I! Ok you were warned!

**Animefan a.m.1:** I am so glad you enjoyed my story! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**NonameJane:** I'm so glad you enjoyed chapter six! In fact, the dream sequence at the end was the reason why I started this story in the first place! I asked myself: what if she had gotten to the cabin where Okina and Aoshi were fighting before Aoshi used his Rokuren? Aoshi had threatened Okina and the other _four_ in the Aoiya with death if they didn't cooperate but never did he even think to threaten Misao! So the dream sequence was the first thing I wrote and developed everything else around it!

Thank you all for Reading and Reviewing!


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:**Do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto or Star Wars! Please do not sue! Not making any money off of this!

**Warning:** This is a VERY lemony scented chapter so reader beware! If you are offended by such things stop right here and read no further! In fact skip to the one of my other stories they're stillscent free...

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**Epilogue**

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"**You make me feel like I can fly!… So high!… El-e-vation!" – U2**

* * *

Aoshi resisted the urge to growl in anger as he walked towards the exit of the German embassy. Those bastards had told him he would be able to go back to Kyoto in two weeks but their regular translator got hung up in China on account of bad weather and the ambassador getting a cold!

A few days after he and Misao arrived in Tokyo the ministry had offered him a temporary position to help in the German Embassy for a couple of weeks. He had accepted the job because it was a quick way to gain the extra money they would need for the new expansion of the Aoiya. However the job had gone on for two weeks longer than originally planned and he'd been stuck in Tokyo for nearly four weeks!

Servants and low level bureaucrats jumped out of Aoshi's way as he stalked towards the exit. The only bright spot was that with the bonus he'd received they would have plenty for the Aoiya's expansion and money left for the trip to America with Kate-sensei. It didn't do anything for his mood now though! He had been without the warmth of his princess for nearly a month now and it was making him more than a bit irritable! As if that was not enough the fact that the Germans had purchased Kanryu's old estate and turned into their embassy made things that much _worse_! He stopped at the accountant's office to pick up his final payment.

"Thank you…" he said blandly as he accepted the large sum of cash and turned to leave.

"Mr. Shinomori, are you sure you don't want to hire an escort with that much cash…" the man stopped. Aoshi turned his head and glared at the accountant. He placed the money inside his jacket.

"That will not be necessary," he replied coldly and left without another word. The accountant's assistant was entering as Aoshi was leaving and jumped out of the way at one look from Aoshi. He continued then to stalk towards the entrance. He had hoped that he could leave early today so he could catch the last train back to Kyoto but…

'Damn, I hate this place!' he cursed inwardly again resisting the urge to growl angrily. At the last minute the ambassador's secretary had found a million little things for him to translate! He suspected it was just a ploy to get as much work out of him as possible. He resisted the urge to look at his watch he knew there was no way he would reach the train station in time.

'_Damn it!_' he cursed to himself again. Misao was expecting him to arrive tomorrow morning but he had hoped to leave this afternoon and surprise her by arriving tonight. He had even packed his bag and paid his bill at the inn near the embassy that he was staying at because he had thought he'd be able to get to the train station on time.

'But damn it all of course they would find a million "important" documents for me to translate at the last minute!' he cursed once more trying hard not to growl at the poor servant that was fetching him his trench coat and his bag. Resigned to travel tomorrow with the Himuras he donned his trench coat, thanked the servant and hoisted up his bag then walked out the door glad that at least he would not have to come back. He made his way towards the front gate without realizing that the closer he got to it the faster he walked! Upon arriving he realized Kenshin was standing just inside the closed gates waiting for him. He raised a hand to greet his friend and Kenshin replied in kind.

"Good afternoon Aoshi!" he greeted cheerfully once he was within conversational distance.

"Good afternoon Kenshin," Aoshi greeted a little tiredly but glad that at least he wouldn't have to trek all the way back to the Kamiya dojo alone. Not that Aoshi needed Kenshin's protection; far from it in fact it was more likely the other way around considering the state of his Hiten Mitsurugi these days. He really just didn't feel like being alone. It surprised him how once he had craved solitude now he couldn't stand it!

"We received a telegram from Mrs. Kate this morning!" Kenshin informed him cheerfully as the two walked out the front gate. A white horse waited for them outside and Aoshi looked at it in confusion. Kenshin smiled…

"Apparently a friend of Mrs. Kate will delay the departure of the last train until you arrive! And she has provided a horse for your use!" Kenshin explained cheerfully as he handed the reins of the horse to Aoshi and produced a train ticket for him from the folds of his kimono. Aoshi smirked and took the ticket from his friend…

"Thank you," he said simply and nimbly climbed on to the horse marveling for the millionth time how preternaturally well-timed Kate-sensei's interventions were! He bowed his head towards the red-headed samurai who smiled cheerfully back at him.

"I will see you all tomorrow," he added solemnly. Kenshin just smiled and nodded as his friend turned the horse and urged it at full speed towards the train station. Kenshin continued to smile as Aoshi disappeared down the road. He sighed contentedly he was really happy for Aoshi. He had finally found the place where his heart could be at peace safe from the demons of his past.

He was glad too for Ms. Misao she had found the one who was her happiness after all and most likely found that real smile that was buried deep inside him. He turned and began walking for home feeling light-hearted; cheerfully looking forward to their wedding despite the alarming number of Mibu wolves that would be present…

* * *

Aoshi reached the station in record time! A police officer at the station recognized him and waved him over. He dismounted quickly and handed the reins to the officer with a quick thank you. He rushed on to the platform and handed the ticket to the conductor who directed him to the first class car and a private cabin. This did not surprise Aoshi. No doubt this arrangement of Kate-sensei's was done so he could rest before getting to Kyoto.

'For Misao's benefit of course!' he surmised as he entered the plush single cabin. Tired and stressed as he was now he would be of no use to his princess. Kate-sensei, being the unnaturally wise old lady that she was, knew that of course! He locked the door to his cabin and by the time the whistle blew and the train began to move he had already removed his western trappings and took full advantage of the facilities in the room to divest himself of the day's toil.

He changed into his clean ninja uniform, tucked his hard earned cash securely in his bag and laid down on the cot in the room allowing him self to relax now that he was on his way to Kyoto finally. He didn't sleep but he instantly began to feel the stress of the past weeks begin to dissipate. His mind drifted to a couple of weeks ago when upon hearing that Aoshi would have to remain in Tokyo for two more weeks Misao had sneaked out of the Aoiya (very likely with Kate-sensei's help!) and boarded a train to Tokyo.

He smiled as he recalled how he'd returned to the inn that evening to find her already in his room! As he had made his way back to his room that day he caught a whiff of Misao's perfume. At first he'd thought he was imagining it but when he slid opened the door and found her sitting on his futon wearing that blue dress…he felt his brain had gone into meltdown! And what a pleasant surprise it was to find that there was nothing but her bare skin under that dress! He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

'Now what was it that she said? Oh yes…' he chuckled as he recalled her explaining that she had come to check up on the morale level of her favorite ninja while he was on assignment! She hadn't bothered to hide the mischievous twinkle in her eye as she said it. Oh the things he had taught her that night! And what a quick learner she was! It was with deepest reluctance that he let her go come Monday morning but that one weekend had been one of the best he'd had in ages. He had accompanied her to the train station on Monday morning and watched the train disappear…

'Focus Aoshi!' he ordered himself sternly shaking himself out of the depressing mood he was drifting into as he thought of the cold, lonely nights that followed that weekend's trysts. Misao needed him to be at his best tonight and being melancholic wouldn't help! He sat up deciding to try and meditate and that did help a little but thoughts of the welcome he was sure to receive from his princess worked much better. He let himself relax and watched as the countryside whizzed past his window thoughts of his smiling princess banishing any shadows lurking in the back of his mind…

* * *

Misao sighed tiredly as she finally reached the end of the day's chores. She smiled as she looked at the calendar. In three more days she and Aoshi would be "officially" married. He was due back from his assignment in Tokyo by tomorrow morning.

"Patience," she advised herself out loud as she headed towards the bath house. He would be back by tomorrow along with Kenshin and his family. Sasuke and Naruto graduated yesterday and moving Saya out of the Haruno's Estate into her and Naruto's new home would be finished by tomorrow since the guys were home now. Aside from that all the preparations for the party were complete. All that was left was for Aoshi to return so they could go to the city recorder's office and register as a married couple and then of course the ceremony!

Even Mr. Shuhei and the other wolves had come by already eager to party but most of them were staying at Mr. Shuhei's home in Kyoto. It hadn't taken long for Misao to find someone who would help her in acquiring the dojo. As it turned out Sakura bullied her father into buying it from the current owners at a fair market price _negotiated_ by Sakura. The girl really had an eye for numbers and real estate and she _really_ knew how to get her money's worth! Once she got it Mr. Shuhei was so pleased he paid her a five percent commission fee and offered her a job! Sakura had presented the money later to Saya and Naruto as a wedding present.

Sakura's father had countered the offer by giving her what she really wanted: the run of her family's factory! That was only one of the many changes that had come over her friends. Ino, Sakura's eternal rival in all things especially in the pursuit of Sasuke's affection's had gone on a miai recently with Tamesaburo Yagi and apparently they'd hit it off so well that now they were seeing each other regularly and were planning their wedding for early summer. As for Sakura she was so excited with her new career that she'd paid Sasuke little to no attention!

But what had disturbed Misao was that Sakura had actually told her father he could arrange whatever husband that he saw fit for her so long as his choice would allow her to continue as the head of the factory. She had even gone so far as suggesting he get advice on appropriate suitors from Saito or Aoshi suggesting that some one with a career in politics or the police wouldn't have any designs on _her_ factory. When Misao had questioned her about it; this is what Sakura had to say:

"_Misao, my selfish infatuation of Sasuke blinded me to all else happening around me. I can't forgive myself for not noticing how much hardship Saya and Naruto suffered. I can't forgive myself for not noticing how difficult it was for you to live day after day putting up with insults like the ones my brother and Kamo were always throwing at you. I was a selfish, sad and pathetic girl who wouldn't stand up for herself because I was waiting for my knight in shining armor to come and rescue me!" the seriousness in Sakura's tone had caught Misao by surprise._

"_But Sakura…my knight did come to my rescue…" Misao began but Sakura's bitter laugh cut her off._

"_No Misao, it was you who rescued Aoshi! I can tell by the way he looks at you…The thing I admire about you Misao is that you were willing to sacrifice you're entire life for someone you loved putting that person ahead of your own needs and desires. That you have the courage and strength to protect the people you care about or the town you live in no matter what the odds against you is what is most amazing about you. The selfish and frightened little brat I was before couldn't understand why you would go to such lengths for your friends without asking for anything in return," she paused for a moment the sad look on her face marred her elegant beauty; the beauty Misao had once envied._

"_The old Sakura couldn't understand anything about being truly selfless but the new one is starting to! My family's company has been in business for over two hundred years! We have weathered the best and worst times if I leave things to my brother our family's legacy will be destroyed. I can't allow that! My infatuation with Sasuke is a part of the past and it belongs to a girl I don't want to ever be again!"_

"_You know Sakura not everything about the old Sakura was selfish! If it hadn't been for you Aoshi and I would've never gotten together!" Misao had pointed out cheerfully hoping to restore her friend's spirit. It apparently worked as she realized that it had been the trip to the base that had set off a chain of events that would lead to the fulfillment of Misao's wildest dreams. The two women had hugged tightly then._

"_That's what's so great about you my friend you can see the good in every one and every thing!" Sakura had enthused and thus the two young women went back to their assigned wedding preparation duties!_

Misao sighed tiredly as she sat in the bath. She had told Naruto what she had talked about with Sakura and he said he would talk to Sasuke. Sasuke for his part was being more broody and intense than usual. He hardly said two words to anyone and when he did talk to her it was to ask her when Aoshi was coming back. Something was worrying Sasuke and apparently he would talk to no one about it but Aoshi. She looked up at the window in the bath house and realized that the daylight was fading fast. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay long.

"No use staying in here…" she advised herself as she finished washing and stepped back out of the tub. She dried herself off and put on her sleeping yukata. She made her way tiredly back to her new room. She had moved to a bigger room because all of Aoshi's things had been moved in with hers and her old room couldn't accommodate both despite Aoshi's penchant for sparse-ness. She smiled as she reached her room starting tomorrow they would share this room and she could have Aoshi all to herself every night!

Her smile faded quickly as she opened the door and looked at the empty room. In the meantime she would have to tolerate yet another lonely night. She sighed heavily and tried not to think about it as she set out her bedding and lit her lamp. Again she tried not to think too hard about the fact that she would be sleeping _alone_ on the matrimonial sized futon Okon and Omasu had recently bought for her and Aoshi. She took out the little origami flower he made for her on the day they got engaged. She set it on top of the trunk sitting under the window sill and sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs just staring at it trying not to feel sorry for her self…

* * *

It was nearly dark by the time the train arrived in Kyoto but darkness never bothered a ninja! Aoshi made his way to the Aoiya at best possible speed taking every shortcut imaginable. When he arrived it was quickly obvious that the Aoiya had closed down for the night. Again not a problem for an elite ninja like Aoshi! He climbed quietly up the wall his eyes scanning quickly for Misao's room but the room looked empty. He quietly made his way across the roof searching for her. He spotted her on the other side of the house in one of the larger rooms.

"Misao…" he breathed her name ever so softly. She was sitting quietly staring at the little flower he made for her. Her face was devoid of the joy she usually had in abundance. One small lamp somewhere inside was the only illumination in the room. She looked tired and lonely; her smile was nowhere to be seen…

'That's it! I don't care how much they pay me I'm not leaving her again!' he declared as he made his way quietly towards her window…

Misao's head snapped up as a familiar presence prickled her ninja senses. An instant later Aoshi clad in his ninja uniform and his trademark trench coat appeared at her window sill…

"Leader, I have returned…" he announced solemnly but the blazing look in his eyes and the tiny smirk on his lips betrayed that secret little mischievous side of him that made Misao's insides twist with delight every time it surfaced. She smiled; it was a side of himself he showed only to her and she loved it!

"Well, you should come here and give me a report then!" she declared with mock-seriousness. He smiled then and her heart skipped a beat. He was heartstopping-ly handsome every time he did that! In the blink of an eye his arms were wrapped tight around her and his mouth enveloped hers in insatiably blazing kisses! He paused for just a moment to pick her up and carry her back to their bed. Amidst more frantic blazing kisses they helped each other be rid of their clothes and get under the blankets then Aoshi paused once more…

"I missed you my husband…" Misao said softly as she smiled happily up at him. She wrapped her arms around his chest to pull him closer and again he smiled…

"I missed you my wife…" he replied supporting much of his weight on his left arm as he settled himself above her and caressed her cheek softly with his right hand. He kissed her lightly again then more heatedly as his body eagerly demonstrated just how _much_ he had missed her! She enthusiastically received all of his affections and he marveled (not for the first time!) just how quickly his princess learned! It filled his heart with joy to know that this was knowledge that would belong only to him!

'Because she will only ever be for me!' he realized happily. He let a soft growl of ecstasy escape his throat as they partook of their marriage bed privileges with much zeal…

Quiet reigned in the kitchen of the Aoiya for a moment as a spike in Misao's ki made all the members of the Oniwaban aware of Aoshi's early return. Okina smiled a ninja after all doesn't need to make noise to make his presence known! There was no need for any of them to ask where he was or what he was doing. Okon and Omasu exchanged a conspiratorial giggle and Kuro and Shiro just shrugged and went back to their dinners.

"How long do you think we should wait before we call them down to dinner?" Okon asked. Okina chuckled slightly…

"If they want food they can come and get it themselves any time! But I doubt there's anything in this kitchen that will satisfy _their_ hunger!" Okina laughed mischievously. Okon just shook her head and exchanged an amused glance with Omasu. He was right it was most likely that they wouldn't see either of them until morning!

"What do you suppose they'll call their first child?" Okon asked as she sat down with the others to eat. They were all very surprised when it was Kuro who answered.

"Hannya if it's a boy, Aiya if it's a girl…" he stated without looking up from his dinner. He paused in mid-bite at Omasu's indignant shriek.

"Well how come you know that and we don't?"

"And since _when_ do you know that?" Okon shrieked equally annoyed. Kuro just shrugged sheepishly and hid behind his ramen bowl.

"I overheard her talking to Sakura about it the other day…" he explained trying to fend off a verbal assault. They huffed in annoyance but much to Kuro's relief they let it go. The girls were still having guilt trips about how they used to tune Misao out and they got upset whenever they found out something about their leader that they feel they should've known. Even worse was the fact that Sakura was always better informed then they were about Misao's thoughts!

Okina chuckled slightly at the girl's discomfiture but his smile vanished as he cast a glance back at the door from which Mrs. Kate had left. She had retired early with a mild complaint about her knees aching. It worried Okina though because he knew of many men his age whose wives had died slow painful deaths due to a bone debilitation and it usually started with aching joints. Granted, he often complained of a bad back or an aching knee but he could chalk those up to the ass-kicking Aoshi handed him just three years ago.

Kate on the other hand wasn't an old soldier like him. She was a doctor who led a hard life for sure but not a soldier with old battle scars coming to bother in old age. The aching knees weren't the only thing he noticed that seemed to cause her pain. He had seen her on a few occasions rubbing her wrists and wincing in pain after only a few minutes of writing. That was a new development! He had begun noticing it when she and Aoshi returned from the USA. He hated to think that she would die a painful and slow death. He shook his head hoping he was just overreacting.

"I just checked on her and she was asleep already she seemed fine," Okon said softly reading Okina's worried glance correctly. He smiled because Okon looked just as worried as he was.

"Maybe she should just come back with Aoshi and Misao and just stay here permanently…" Shiro suggested. Again Okina smiled and shook his head…

"I doubt that she will agree to that," Omasu put in looking just as solemn.

"Why not! She spends so much time here anyway!" Kuro reasoned. Okon shook her head.

"She's got responsibilities in the USA too…" she countered.

"Still, it's worth at least asking!" Okina declared suddenly "we'll ask Misao to do it! I'm sure she would be able to convince her, maybe not right away, but I think she should at least know that there's a place for her here…" they all nodded and agreed with him. They all decided to talk to Aoshi and Misao in the morning while Mrs. Kate was off in Mibu checking on Saya whom apparently managed to get pregnant a month earlier than she should have!

Okon and Omasu complained loudly how come Misao and Aoshi hadn't thought to do the same! They wanted their little onmitsu now! Little did they know that Misao and Aoshi were in the same boat already! However, it'll be a while before any of them find out because Misao doesn't suffer of morning sickness and the only day counting she's done in all the pre-wedding excitement is: how many days until her wedding! The little one growing within Misao is a true onmitsu who will conceal her existence until the time is right!

Up in the mountains near Master Hiko's hut the sound of swords clashing could be heard! The mysterious swordsman had come again as soon as it was dark!

'Swordswoman! I should say!' Hiko thought as he barely managed to dodge her strike. This girl however was like no one he'd ever fought! She was faster than he was and he finally understood what it was that she wanted. She wanted the secret techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi! During their previous bouts every time he had been forced to use a special attack to defend himself she had stopped her assault and disappeared returning only when his injuries had healed.

'She should have them all by now! Except for the Kuzuryusen and the Amakakeru-ryu-no-hirameki! That's probably what she wants!' he reasoned rolling out of the way of a perfectly executed Ryusuitsen she almost smashed on his head. Again he was impressed by the woman's raw skill…

"What do want with the Hiten Mitsurugi sword!" Hiko demanded. The swordswoman stopped…

"I do not wish to harm you or your sword but there is a small group in desperate need of its strength and wisdom. I must have it!" she intoned in a deep sonorous voice with no trace of a foreign accent. In the gloom he saw her raise her hand and his camp fire roared to life without anyone lighting it. It took considerable effort for him not to show his surprise! At a flick of her wrist a long shiny black trench coat appeared in her hands and she stepped closer to the fire.

Hiko watched in stoic silence sword still at the ready. This was the first time he was able to look at her clearly. The first thing that surprised him was that she was quite obviously foreign. She was as tall as him with dark brown hair and golden brown skin. She looked like she was in her early thirties but her strange green and hazel eyes showed age greater than a mere thirty years. She had an athletic build to her that leaned more than a little to the voluptuous side. There was an exotic beauty to her that was almost scary!

She staked her sword to the ground while she gracefully put on her coat but it wasn't until she sheathed her sword on the scabbard at her back that he sheathed his. He stepped closer to the fire and watched her. She stared intently into the flames her beautiful face marred by a deep frown.

"I don't have much time left! I must have the final secret sword!" she began with a touch of desperation in her voice.

"Why should I give it to you? What's so important that needs the protection of my sword?" He asked sitting down at the fire looking up at her. She rolled her eyes…

"Arrogant young man! Don't get conceited!" she spat glaring at him.

"Then tell me what you want it for!" he countered evenly. She seemed reluctant at first then sighed…

"I have a friend who belongs to an old knighthood his group was brought to near oblivion until he was all that was left. He defeated the evil that nearly defeated his order and now he is attempting to restore the knighthood." She began softly still watching the fire intently.

"However, the bulk of the old knights' wisdom along with their _great_ swords was destroyed along with all its masters and has left my friend with almost nothing with which to rebuild the order," she sighed in frustration. She closed her eyes…

"So why are you helping this order again?" he asked more than a bit curious. She seemed too ruthless to be doing this for charity or the nobility of their cause.

"I told you I'm doing this for my friend! I promised his master I would help him…" she answered reluctantly. He nodded slowly…

"Your friend…is he as good as you are?" Hiko asked starting to seriously consider teaching her the final attack. She smiled…

"He used to be! When he was young…" she replied. Hiko cocked his head to one side confused…

"I am a two hundred year old creature that cannot age or die. My friend was trained in secret and has muddled through with what little his master was able to impart before he died. There are no formal sword styles left in the order so I travel through many worlds and gather the strongest swords that I can find! He takes them and brings out their maximum potential! Every sword style I acquire brings him that much closer to restoring the glory of the old knights!" she explained her voice rose slightly as she got into the heart of her story.

"So you want Hiten-Mitsurugi so it can be incorporated into the order's new lore?" he reasoned out loud. She smiled in amusement…

"Well, what do you know? The boy does have a brain in that pretty little head of his," she commented amused. That caught him by surprise! 'I've heard that somewhere before?' he wondered as he gave the woman a suspicious look.

"How will your friend receive my sword when he hears you killed me to get it?" he tested. She rolled her eyes…

"I am well aware of the danger in acquiring the final attack! It has been described to me through the wounds of those who have survived it! As I said I cannot be killed all you have to do is attack me with it and I will know how to do it! Even if you hit me full force I will be uninjured!" she explained in a rather annoyed and impatient tone.

"So Kate I take it your disguise is about to expire! That's why you have to ask?" he concluded. She smiled and finally sat at the fire…

"That's right! I don't usually tell people my secret. Most people in this world wouldn't receive it well," she explained. Hiko nodded in solemn agreement 'and I thought I was weird!' he thought amused.

"Those guys at the Aoiya wouldn't mind," Hiko countered softly. She sighed sadly…

"I know but I can't stay! The suspicions it would raise…No I can't risk it!" she replied shaking her head a worried look marring her beautiful ageless face. Hiko nodded…

"Alright I'll show you but I want something in return," he finally decided.

"Name it…" she countered seriously giving Hiko a hard look.

"You have to learn the history of Hiten-Mitsurugi and you have to find someone who will take the Hiko Seiguro name and my cape when I die," he demanded getting to his feet again.

"Those things have already been arranged. The history of Hiten-Mitsurugi has been acquired through Kenshin and Misao I suppose there are a few holes that require attending but as for an heir one has already been chosen among the knights!" she explained solemnly getting to her feet. "I will introduce him to you in due time!"

"Good but I have one more request," he said as he stepped away from the fire. She removed her jacket and set both sword and jacket aside…

"You say you can't age right?"

"Correct,"

"The age of swords is over in my world and my time will end soon too, would you protect the Hiten Mitsurugi in its pure form and bring it back to this world someday?" He watched her for a moment a hard look in his eyes. She smiled and nodded…

"If you're world survives the turbulent times of change it's rushing towards… I will bring the Mitsurugi teachings back to this world. You're not the only master I've made such a promise to at any rate!" she explained as she placidly waited for Hiko to begin. Hiko smirked.

"Who else did you promise?" he asked curious but not at all surprised that other sword masters hadn't jumped at this opportunity.

"Remind me some time to tell you about a young man named Diego de la Vega or Zorro as the people in California used to call him!" she laughed. Hiko took his stance and flipped his sword to the blunt edge. She nodded signaling she was ready…

"We'll start with the Kuzuryusen once you see it the form for the Amakakeru will become apparent to you," he explained. She smiled again in anticipation this time…

"I am ready!" she whispered fervently. Her one passion was swords and yes she wanted to bring this sword to her friend but the task of collecting sword styles was something she would've done regardless of whether the Jedi would use them or not! For an instant she wished his sword really could kill her but alas her time was far from over! The curse of being what she was would make her continue on indefinitely. Hiko unsheathed his sword and instructed her not to move. She complied. Hiko was able to demonstrate the attack without landing a single hit. She smiled…

"A good teaching technique…I will pass it along as well," she complimented. The technique required to stop that kind of attack did come to her right away. It would require awesome speed but nothing outside the range of her friends. Nothing she couldn't do either! She sighed again she was tempted to stop wandering to remain and learn more. There were so many stories yet to gather on this world! Kenshin's pain was something she could very well understand but Kenshin at least could stop wandering now. For her on the other hand that would never be the case lest this world pay the price the place she'd called "Home" had…

"I will return for the rest after the wedding," she said as she extended her hand to summon her jacket and sword.

"Very well, but I thought you were taking the Shinomoris to America?" he questioned as he too put on his cape and sheathed his sword. She turned her head and smiled patiently at him then simply disappeared in a swirl of white light.

"Ah, I see!" mused Hiko out loud and laughed then walked back into his hut. His muscles were sore and he wanted to leave for Kyoto early tomorrow so he decided to turn in. His stupid apprentice would be arriving with his family tomorrow for the celebrations but the prospect of seeing Kenshin didn't bother him anymore. To know that there was someone out there that could carry the sword of Mitsurugi for centuries to come was comforting. To know that his sword was safe from oblivion was the greatest legacy he could leave!

* * *

**THE END**


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